Comfort in the darkness
by Lucy1247
Summary: What starts out as Dark Shadow chasing a 'shiny person' and being a general horrible creature of darkness ends up being Tokoyami's first real relationship. But things can't stay perfect can they? No that would be just too sweet.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: I am posting this at like midnight...*why do I do this to myself***  
**And I have a weird trend of publishing fics while I should be sleeping. Oopsie**  
**I hope you guys enjoy it (the like 4 people who will read this. Hi!)**  
**Thank you and without further ado!**

* * *

**Beep**

**Beep**

**Beep**

That was the only sound in the room. Each felt like another stab in his chest, each filled him with more and more guilt yet relief. He wasn't dead, his best friend wasn't dead. His shining star wasn't dead. His boyfriend wasn't dead.

It was the best he could think to keep himself calm, to keep the other thoughts from taking over.

**Beep**

_You should have noticed it. _

**Beep**

_It was obvious. The way he flinched whenever Bakugo raised his voice- _

**Beep**

_how he was startled whenever I made a quick gesture. How many times he complained his father would be mad. You shrugged it off. It's your fault, you could have saved him. You aren't a hero. You are a monster. You can't even save yourself from your own quirk at night, you couldn't save him. You- _

Before his thoughts could spiral even more out of control, he was interrupted by a loud hacking cough. Somebody gasping for air as if coming out of water. He quickly turned his head and saw the blonde waking up. He seemed confused, muttering something in French. As if remembering something he sat up, panic filling his eyes. He was cursing, his whole body shaking and he looked ready to collapse again.

Tokoyami quickly reached and took his hand, putting the other against his chest and pushing him so he lowered himself back into bed.

"Fumi?" his voice was so quiet and fragile. The simple word piercing his heart like an arrow from the gods.

"I am here."

"Oh, Fumi I am so sorry! This is my fault! Please, I am so sorry!" he broke into tears instantly. His beautiful eyes carried such sadness and fear. It...It made him angry. It wasn't Aoyama's fault! It was that bastard's fault! He caused this, he made Yuuga suffer! He shouldn't be blaming himself!

Before the rage could bubble over, he felt a familiar presence next to him. Dark Shadow had refused to come out since the _incident _. The shadowy creature looked grief-stricken, mimicking his own emotions. Without much hesitation he hugged the blonde, who gasped for air from the force. Before he could scold the creature, Aoyama quickly raised his other hand and shook his head. Slowly he wrapped the arm around Dark Shadow. To comfort the creature of darkness or himself, he wasn't sure. He was still shaking, looking afraid. As if _that man _would come and get him.

"Nobody will hurt you ever again." Tokoyami spoke firmly, squeezing his boyfriend's hand.

* * *

Oh where had this mad tale begun? In the walls of UA itself of course.

The ultimate school for heroes and those who support them. The entrance exam had been brutal for lack of a better term. That it was during the day was a blessing and a curse, he felt like he had barely gotten in.

On the way to arrive to school he had been stopped multiple times, the UA uniform was quite recognizable. It was maddening, being stopped and asked questions about himself and his quirk. Very much annoying, he had even been tempted multiple times to summon Dark Shadow and scare them away.

Once he had arrived, quite a bit of class had already arrived. He saw an invisible girl happily chatting with another who had bright pink skin and messy hair. In the back a boy with bright red hair was excitedly talking to the one with blonde hair and a black streak through it. They both seemed deep in the discussion.

Many of the others were scattered in little groups talking to each other. Except two, both sitting at their desks in the first row. One had gray hair and a mask that covered most of his face and was quite big. Bigger than everybody in class by how he already seemed like a tower while sitting. He had six arms attached to each other like one might find on wings of a bat, he seemed quiet and mysterious.

The other sat right by the door and had greeted him when he came in. Short blonde hair, with a fringe that slightly covered his right eye. He had a plastered on smile, with an obvious French accent. And he seemed to be, sparkling? He seemed familiar-

Oh, he was the one that had passed by him in the entrance exam. Shouting something about beauty as he flew through the air with a very bright and shiny belt. Dark Shadow had gotten distracted, begging to follow and get the belt. So embarrassing! To act like a common bird and ache for bright and sparkly things. It had probably cost them a lot of points.

'Look! It is the sparkly man!' he heard Dark Shadow chirp within his head excitedly, like a toddler pointing something out to a parent. He sighed and shook his head, looking for a seat without a bag to claim as his own.

'Come on! I want to ask him if I can get the sparkly belt! Please!'

'No! Now behave like the creature of darkness you are! You aren't a common bird!' he scolded the creature within his mind, finally seeing a seat in the 4th row. But before he could do that, Dark Shadow had forced himself out. Oh no-

The beast without hesitation pulled along his master , as Tokoyami yelled and scolded it. But he ignored Fumikage and stopped in front of the blonde classmate.

"You are very shiny! And sparkly!" he spoke, his voice a bit distorted.

The boy who sat looked a bit caught off guard, before giggling. "Why yes, I do sparkle quite a bit. Do you like them?" he asked curiously, not even batting an eye as Tokoyami yelled.

"Yes! They are very bright and nice! You look like a star!"

At that moment, the plastered on smile broke and the sparkling got even brighter.

"Why I like you quite a lot! Hohoho!" and to Tokoyami's utter shock, he scratched and pet Dark Shadow's head. Nobody had done this since middle school when the creature had been small and could barely speak.

The others in the room looked shocked, a few even scared. But this boy, just giggled and pet the _ultimate creature of darkness _.

What kind of class had he gotten himself into?

* * *

**Hi again!**  
**I am sorry if Tokoyami seems OOC, for some reason I can't really nail him down in my opinion.**  
**This won't be getting weekily updates (maybe? I dunno yet) since the Hit List is my first priority. But I had been fidling with this story for a while and decided to publish it anyway. I appreciate every comment I get. From critiscm, to random yelling or any tips you might have for writting our edgelord son. I hope to see ya guys soon!**


	2. The beginning

**Notes!:****WHO WANTS ANGST? Nobody? Well oopsie**

**Me: The Hit List is my priority**  
**Also me: *nearly forgets to update the Hit List because I was writting this***

**Again warning for my bad writting. No idea how to write Mezo and Mic so winging it at this point and I *hope* it isn't too OOC. Sorry 'bout that heh**

**Also! I will have some stuff with Dark Shadow and Tokoyami talking telepathicly (if that's the word for it?)So basically bold within ' will be Dark Shadow and italics within ' is Tokoyami.**

* * *

Yamada sighed as he got off the phone. One of his sidekicks had asked him to take over for them for a few minutes. He glanced at his phone, nodding. He could spare a few, plus it was for a kid. Poor little listener needed to be guarded from a raging parent. How horrible must they be? That the poor child needs to be guarded like a villain is after them.  
"Tch." He muttered before heading to the hospital. He could change there before heading home. Aizawa would have his head for leaving him alone with all the paperwork, but he would understand...hopefully.

He started whistling as he walked, greeting people and other heroes on patrol. It was a nice day, people still abuzz about the Sports Festival. It had been quite the event this year, the first years had been a big attraction with their flashy quirks. He could see a lot of them succeding as heroes. Ohh! He could see it now! Telling emberassing school days stories of them at hero gatherings and galas. He already did that with most of his students and he liked seeing them improve from those memories. This was going to be an exciting year!

He arrived shortly, waving to a few of the smaller kids and quickly signing an autograph for an older one on his cast. Those listeners were so adorable! The look of happiness on their faces when he just waved at them. This was one of the reasons he could never stop being a hero, why it was worth juggling 3 jobs. To just see those excited smiles and hope in their eyes-that was worth all the exhaustion and bad days.  
"Excuse me, miss! I believe there is a hero guarding a certian room here? I am here to pick up his shift!" He tried to speak as quietly as possible and her flinch indicating he still must have been quite loud. God damnit.  
"Oh! Of course. It is at 105, just down the hall and turn left."  
"Thank you very much." He smiled and sauntered with a spring in his step.

He waved as he saw Beat Boy, who seemed quite relieved.  
"I am so sorry for putting this on you-"  
"HEY! None of that! Family is important and you have covered for me when I needed it more than once! Now go and stay safe." He shooed him off, his sidekick awkardly smilling and thanking him.  
He chuckled and turned to the room.  
"Let me just tell them that I am leaving and that you are taking my place. Though it may be awkard for your pupil."  
Mic blinked a few times behind his orange glasses.  
"My pupil?"  
"Yeah, the one who got 3rd in the Sports Festival. He is visiting them, pretty close too from what I saw."  
"Is it a family member?" He asked worridly, taking his glasses off, revealing his swirly pupils.  
"I highly highly doubt it." He snickered.  
"Some boy with blonde hair and an extremly thick accent."  
Hizashi blinked a few times, an uneasy feeling in his stomach. That description sounded rather familiar.  
"What kind of accent does he have?"  
"I wouldn't know. Something foreign. Maybe Italian or French?" He shrugged and turned around, knocking on the door. He opened it, going in while Yamada looked into the room.

He did a doubletake at the sight. Tokoyami was more or less laying on the hospital bed with Aoyama resting his head against his chest. Tokoyami's shadow monster being pet by the young blonde with a shaky hand. He looked to put it bluntly, horrible.  
The Sports Festival had been merely a few days ago yet he looked like a completely different person. Pale skin and shivering, dark circles under his eyes. One of them puffy and nearly closed from the swelling of the blackeye that had formed. He had burns along his arms and more bruises caked his neck and what wasn't covered in hair was thin and messy, looking like it hadn't seen a comb in a long while.

Yuuga was in no way memorable in class. He shined and sat in the first row from what Yamada remembered. His quirk was something to do with a laser and he was quite good in English. He spoke it nearly fluently and quickly corrected his mistakes. He was certianly within the top of the class in that regard. But he wasn't so sure for the rest.

"-So I will just be replaced by my boss for a bit. I believe you know him." Beat Boy nodded towards Tokoyami, who seemed confused and worried. The atmosphere in the room was fragile.  
Mic hesitated for a moment, frowning. _This wasn't going to end well, will it?_

He quietly stepped into the room, waving towards Tokoyami who froze and stiffend. Aoyama opened his eyes, looking sleepy and glancing at Tokoyami. He quite quickly registered the expression of fear and threw a look at Yamada. He looked absolutely mortified, putting his hands to his face. Mic noticed a cateter sticking out of his arm and the boy was shaking, like somebody being caught doing something they shouldn't be.  
Aoyama started sobbing, his voice bubbling and breaking. He seemed to be...apologizing?  
Fumikage started quickly calming him, pulling him into his chest. It was a bit of a familiar sight, an emotional blonde quietly calmed by a cold person who is secretly a softy.  
Oh god, these two are in Shouta's class. He is gonna lose it. Oh god, oh god, oh god-  
He took a deep breath and left the room with the other hero. Guilt quietly gnawed at him, he had made the poor listener _cry_.  
A promise welled up in his chest. Shouta had his hands full with just the Midoriya, Bakugo and Todoroki kid.  
He would help out with this, nobody should go through that. **Nobody**.

* * *

"I apologize for my quirk's horrible behaviour." Bowed Tokoyami, glaring daggers at the quite happy Dark Shadow.  
"Oh! Non, non! He is a lovely little one. He has an eye for the best things." He winked, another giggle escaped his lips. The giggle was like gentle bells in the wind-where did that come from?  
"He still intruded in your personal space acting like a mere common animal with his fascination."  
"You like shiny things too." Chirped Dark Shadow, smirking as Tokoyami slightly blushed. He was thankful that it couldn't be seen through his feathers.  
"Ohohohoho! Like shadow like owner." He teased slightly, his sparkling intensifying. It was rather mesmerising, though he would never admit it.  
"Well I do may like things that sparkle, it nothing as animalistic as you." He nearly squawked at Dark Shadow, who just seemed happy to be out.  
"You two are quite the duo! I am Yuuga Aoyama, the pleasure is mine." He put his hands under his chin, looking at him with big violet like eyes.  
"Fumikage Tokoyami." He nodded simply before he got a nasty poke to the side.  
"Rude!" Gurgled Dark Shadow and looked at Aoyama. "I am Dark Shadow."  
"What beautiful names! Both of you monsieurs!" He beamed, his smile shinning just as bright as him. What the hell was up with the sparkles? It was like a divine star shinning upon his domain without thought if it would blind him or not.

Suddenly the door was shoved aside and a blond guy walked in. His hair looked like it was an explosion in motion caught on camera and his blood red eyes made him even more menacing. He gave everybody a dirty glare, Yuuga didn't even greet him. He looked rather tense.  
The boy calmly walked to the back and sat down near the window, putting his feet on the desk. Suddenly from behind, a boy with dark blue hair and glasses approached him.  
"I am sorry but could you kindly put your feet down?"  
"Why fucking would I, you extra?"  
"Because this is a school and we must respect it! You are disrespecting the school and-"  
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" He gnarled, raising his voice quite a bit. The moment the boy yelled, Aoyama had flinched as if he had gotten slapped. Well most of the class flinched as well, but his reaction looked very much raw. Like an instinct since he had slightly raised his hand as if to defend himself. But it was only a second and he was acting as if nothing had happend, maybe he just wasn't good with yelling. Nobody liked that. Tokoyami shrugged it off and felt a warmth bubble in his chest. He sent a very clear glare at Dark Shadow who was being pet again. Sharing emotions with him had its ups and downs.

Soon the rest of class had appeared and so did the teacher in his rather interesting way. They were going to do something, but what? They headed quite quickly to the changing rooms and thanks to the crowd he had gotten stuck walking next to the giant guy who had also been sitting in the first row.  
Dark Shadow was dissappointed since he couldn't see Aoyama and went back. He really did need to get a better grip on him. The boy next to him was quiet, just glancing down every so often. The mask looked interesting, it hid around half of his face.

* * *

The test had been quite interesting, just them using their quirks in every way imaginable to get an upperhand. He had somehow managed to snag the 5th place. Not bad but he could do better.  
'**But you did fine**' whined Dark in his head.  
'_We did okay._' He mentally shrugged, getting back into his clothes. They still had a long day of class.  
Back in the classroom Aoyama was already waiting, quietly sketching. Dark Shadow forced himself out again (he really needed to work on that) and started happily clapping his hands.  
"Sparkles!"  
"Why yes I do!" Aoyama quickly snapped to attention, poking the creature's nose. It was still bizzare how he wasn't afraid of him. Like if it was a puppy or a kitten, not a quirk able to kill people.  
"Monsieur! I most congratulate you on your top 5 score! It was quite impressive!" He leaned his face into his hands and looked up at him. "You are an interesting duo to see in action." He tilted his head and beamed every so slightly. It was rather adorable. Wait, adorable? Where did that-  
His thoughts were interrupted by a beat up boy coming in. It was the one who had broken his arm and now finger. His quirk seemed to be a sort of strength enhancer from what he remembered.  
"Bonjour! You are the boy from the exam! I am Yuuga-" as he tried to greet the green boy, Mina (that was her name he believed) jumped infront of him and started yelling.  
"Ohhh! You are the one who broke your finger! That was so cool! You were awesome!"  
Aoyama had tried to introduce himself a few more times but always got cut off. He ended up being quiet, slinking a bit in his seat as the others around him complimented the green boy. The plastered on 'V' smile had appeared and it was a bit unnerving. Luckily Aizawa came and everybody scattered faster than rats on the kitchen floor.

* * *

After class as Tokoyami was heading towards his train station he had noticed that the boy with the mask was walking the same directon. He had been quiet the whole time, just walking.  
"Hey, which station are you heading to?"  
The silver haired one raised a brow but spoke.  
"Sakura station. And you?"  
"Sakura station." He nodded and stopped. It was a new school year, he needed to try more. Even if most of his classmates didn't know the difference between night black and velvet black. He stretched his hand.  
"Tokoyami Fumikage and my companion." He let Dark Shadow out who seemed curios.  
The tall classmate had to lean down quite a bit to shake his hand. "Mezo Shoji." He said with a tight grip on the handshake. So the two boys ended up talking all the way to the stops. When asked about the mask, Mezo said something about a dark past and Tokoyami didn't press forward. But he had also asked if he could see Dark Shadow a bit closer.

The infuriating creature ended up being pet and playing with the classmate as they chatted. Mezo was an interesting and a man of few words , but was a very nice conversationalist somehow still. He honestly wouldn't mind being friends with him. Not many people approached Dark Shadow like he wasn't a rabid creature out to get them and could hold a conversation with him for a long while. This seemed like he could actually have a good school year, but for now he put the optimism away. Homework was waiting for him and so were classes. He had to focus on what was important

* * *

**Author's note: ****Welp-**

**A little heads up, I will be stretching the timeline just a smidge. So much stuff happpen with a day and close to eachother in canon that I can't really manouver it. I want my boys to have a few dates and good stuff between the USJ and the Sports festival. And a lot of stuff I still need to do. Can't wait to hear your thoughts!**


	3. Beautiful Smile

Everything hurt.

Everything **burned**.

Yet, he wouldn't change this for the light of hope, but a comfort he had only felt with Maman. Tears had eventually stopped, but he didn't want to move away. He was afraid that it will just go away. The comforting hands and warm hug, the only thing keeping him together.

_ 'You shouldn't need this. You aren't a girl.' _

_ 'B-But Papa!' _

Yuuga gasped for air, feeling more tears trying to escape. He had caused so much trouble, he shouldn't be laying here. His Papa should have-

"No. He shouldn't have done none of that. That demon had done things nobody should ever do." Fumikage's strained voice spoke and Aoyama nearly flinched. Had he been talking out loud?

"Yes. Yes you were." He chuckled, still holding him close to his chest.

"These painkillers are making me look quite undignified."

"Speaking your mind isn't undignified." Tokoyami spoke softly, starting to go through his messy hair. It must look like a nest! How much more embarrassed can he get in front of this beautiful and magnificent monsieur? As they laid there in silence a question bubbled up in his chest. The anxiety and the painkillers making him so confused, so slow. So the question escaped before he could grab it and tear it into pieces.

"Why haven't you left me?" he whispered, his hands that were hanging on to his jacket, shaking. He felt his boyfriend's body stiffen and had probably looked down at him. He refused to look up, enjoying the few moments he had. Before sense probably hit him and he left. As they say, not your circus, not your monkeys. And he certainly wasn't worth the trouble, too many problems to count. His partner's beautiful voice finally pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Because I will not leave my loved ones at the slightest bit of trouble." He felt two hands cup his cheeks and gently make him look upwards. The light blinded him for a second, before his eyes focused again and he could see the big feathery head.

Even when stressed he was as handsome as ever, his eyes sharp and feathers not even seeming ruffled.

Yuuga sighed and leaned against the touch, his body used to scream to get away from it. But he knew he was safe with Fumi. Even if the school found out, even if the world would find out how useless and ugly Yuuga Aoyama was...he still had him. Him and Maman, that was all he needed. He weakilly smiled up at him, too tired to fake it for once. He really did feel happy with the wonderful man.

"You have such a nice smile." Tokoyami muttered and put their foreheads together as Aoyama started blushing madly. He had never liked his own smile, it looked ugly.

_ "Why are you smiling brat? It's fucking ugly! Get it off your face." _

Yuuga closed his eyes, his body still aching from everything. Knowing his luck everybody would know by the time he is back. How horrible of a kid he is that he needed such discipline. How lazy and sloppy he was. How much-

Before those thoughts could continue he felt another kiss on his forehead, relaxing into it.

He really didn't deserve the mysterious black feathered angel that was Tokoyami, every moment with him was worth every harsh word. Every slap and burn. And he would do it all again if it meant Tokoyami wasn't in the hands of his Papa.

* * *

Yuuga leaned into the heels of his hands, his eyes nearly fluttering closed. Being so relaxed almost felt like a foreign concept, like a flower blooming in a storm. Papa had barely arrived as the sun started to shine, so he actually got some beauty door had opened and he slightly opened one eye, the sight made his heart do somersaults. Curses! He should be focusing on 'being a hero and scooping out the enemy' or whatever Papa likes to say. Yet here was, with a crush that made him weak at the knees whenever he spoke to them. When he had seen him on their first day, for some reason his heart had decided that this was the perfect man for him.

"Good morning!" he chirped, trying to keep his face neutral. To keep that ugly smile away, he didn't want to scare him away. His 'V' smile looked much better, like an adorable baby chic!

"Oh! Good morning." Tokoyami had seemed to have been caught off-guard, his feathers had stood up like an adorable parrot. His thin red eyes seemed to be following his sparkles as they jumped off his skin. Oh sweet Maria, what a charming little oddity. He truly was like a wild bird, magnificent and free. Nothing to hold him back.

Yuuga could see that he had glanced at their classmate Shouji. Ah, he had already made a friend. At least it was fast, being strung along was rather taxing on the mind.

"How are you doing, Tokoyami?" he asked, leaning off his hands.

"My being is swirling with a pleasant feeling, my dark soul calm under the sun." Ah, ever the poet! His voice being like a refreshing breeze in a blistering summer. Like cold water to a burn, cooling and needed. He could listen to him without any need for it to stop.

"So, you are doing fine?" he giggled, watching him roll his eyes and huff a bit. "And how is your companion, monsieur? Dark Shadow?"

"Hello!" he heard a loud gurgle, with Tokoyami jumping a bit not expecting him to be out it seems. So he really didn't have complete control over the adorable thing?

Aoyama forgot himself for a moment, starting to scratch the little guy's head. Even felt that ugly thing break his mask, Aoyama never noticed that Tokoyami seemed more interested if he had 'that ugly thing' on.

"My apologies, he misbehaves because of me." he chuckled and reached into his bag. He pulled out a small disco ball on a chain, it flashed brightly in the light.

"What is that?" Tokoyami's eyes seem to be drawn to it, even though he was resisting it. Well trying to, it was quite bewitching watching those red ruby like eyes. He quickly shook his head, trying to regain his composure.

"A little gift so he doesn't get always distracted by me. I don't want you to have troubles with your companion or being forced to hang out...with me." he spoke out those words slowly, looking down at the immaculate desk. He extended his hand so his classmate could take the gift and leave. So they could part ways and his heart could maybe stop making him more of a fool than he already was. His hand shook slightly as he felt the trinket being taken out of it. The softest touch of his hand, made him want to melt. It was so warm, so gentle. His chest ached once he felt the feeling disappear.

"I think you are quite interesting and nice, no reason why we shouldn't talk sometimes. And the gift is...rather nice. I must thank for thinking of Dark sHADOW STOP THAT." Aoyama looked up to see the little creature pointing to himself and the disco ball, as if comparing the two. Then he started to play with it. It hit the daylight in such a way that he was blinded for a few seconds, a few of the classmates grunting at the bright shine.

Aoyama felt himself flinch, awaiting the pain that came after a blinding light. Yet it never came and blinked a few times, watching Fumikage scold Dark Shadow and taking the keychain away from his little claws. He was pouting, those golden eyes like a puppy when it had done something wrong.

Yuuga giggled a bit, watching the two turn back at him.

"Quite a troublemaker~ Does he get any of that from your passion and energy?"

"He is simply a small pest around the things of light, making such horrible decisions like a child running around with a pair of scissors before throwing them at our eyes."

"Very...specific." he tried to calm his madly beating heart, putting his hands into a fist. His simple nails digged into his skin, making him distract himself from that angelic voice. Agreeing to the move to Japan had been the best and worst decision of his life, where else would he had meet such an adorable and eloquent monsieur?

Tokoyami quickly apologized for Dark Shadow's behaviour and went over to apologize to a few of the other classmates. And so polite too! He sighed and watched him for a bit, his fluttering heart finally seeming to calm down. As if he ever had any chance with such a magnificent man, oh a hero can dream. He sighed and looked at the clock, before getting greeted with a smirking pink face.

"You have it bad for him." she giggled, as Aoyama spluttered, nearly falling off his chair.

"I do not know what you are talking about, dear-." he cleared his throat, his blush returning.

"Mina Ashido!" she extended her hand to him, her smile as bright as a thousand stars in the sky. While cutting him off of course

"Yuuga Aoyama. The pleasure is mine." he spoke, shaking it softly. Her hand was cold and soft, like little water drops of dew in the morning grass.

"You are the French guy right?" she inquired curiously.

"I guess you could categorize me as such." he nodded, looking at her black eyes with golden pupils. Little specks of gold lost in its ore deep under the ground.

"So when are you gonna invite him out?" she leaned forward with her confident smirk, as if they were discussing an evil plan and nobody should hear of it.

"I am not-" he quickly got cut off by her, oh joy it seems it will be a staple occurrence with her.

"Ohh! Too shy? How about I help you?" she teased, giggling. Well, at least she was friendly.

* * *

** AN: Oh boi, I should be writting something else but my creativity refuses to do so. I hope you guys like it! I love reading your comments and can't wait to get out more soon! See ya guys next time! ^-^**


	4. Is that metal?

"Hmm?" Tokoyami glanced at his phone that had buzzed in his pocket.

"Everything okay?" Shouji asked, his bag shifting a bit again over his many appendages.

"Oh, yes yes. Do not have any worries. My mother merely requested I bring some milk to our abode if I am not yet on the train."

"Want me to wait up for you? I know there is a store near here." he suggested, stopping so they could go together.

"I will go on my own, I do not want to hold you up." Tokoyami shook his head, turning around.

"Well if you say so." Mezo shrugged, he wasn't going to insist if Tokoyami didn't want somebody along.

Tokoyami arrived at the store, looking around. He had never been to the stores around his school yet, they seemed familiar. Same as those near his abode, small and quaint.

**'Fumikage look! Shiny candy! Can we get some?!** **_' _**Dark Shadow was referring to the chocolate bars just behind him. It had rather bright packaging and a sparkly smiling mascot on the front.

_'We shall see, you haven't been behaving like the creature of darkness you must be! Going after our classmates like that is quite rude.' _he calmly retorted to his small beast, finding the fridges. He grabbed the first carton, his eyes catching something at the edge of his vision. Was that sparkles?

He turned his head and was greeted with a familiar bright sight. Yuuga was standing on the other end, seemingly trying to decide between two pre-packed bento boxes. His head was bobbing to a song from his gold coloured earphones, completely seeming to ignore his surroundings. His quite intense boring gaze, was looking between the two packages of food. He was wearing a white jacket, with frills and purple accents which complimented his eyes. Out of the pockets he could see a rather bright bedazzled phone and wallet. Both were the tackiest things Tokoyami had ever seen, bedazzled on every millimeter.

Aoyama cursed, before deciding to go with the smaller one. As he turned quickly, his wallet fell out clattering on the ground. It snapped open, while Aoyama seemed blissfully unaware. Tokoyami simply stared for a few seconds, as the bright sparkles disappeared behind the shining classmate.

**'And you say I get easily distracted.'**

_'Oh shut it.' _he quickly grabbed the wallet, following Yuuga. The item in his hand seemed rather light, a 1000 yen bill sticking out once it had fell with his student ID in as well. The bill looked crumpled and smudged, Fumikage was a bit surprised. Yuuga had definitely looked like he is from a well off family.

**'Does it really matter? Give him back his wallet!'** Dark Shadow huffed from the deep depths of his mind. Well he wasn't wrong. Maybe he prefered to use credit cards or used up his pocket money already.

Once he finally found Aoyama, he was picking up one of the chocolate bars from before near the cash register. Fumikage tapped his shoulder, wanting to get his attention. It didn't seem to work and as he was this close, Tokoyami could hear loud humming coming from him. It sounded quite bleak, like a song he himself would listen to in the depths of the night. He tapped his shoulder again, Yuuga still not noticing.

He sighed, before reaching out and gently tugging so the earphones fell out. Suddenly a loud song blared through them, was that..._ metal? _

**I will fail you**

**Of that I'm sure**

**I will remind you of the pain forevermore**

**And when my sins are just-**

Yuuga squeaked, jumping and turning around. He blushed madly, his hand grabbing the phone pausing the song. His face was like a light once the sun starts to eat through the darkness, making Dark Shadow weak and gives himself a respite for a new day.

**'Just say he is red like a tomato like a normal person'**

'_ Perish the thought Dark Shadow.' _

Yuuga was sputtering, looking rather embarrassed. He also seemed a bit confused, his big violet eyes holding a question in them.

"Mon-Monsieur Tok-Tokoyami! How m-may I help? Does your d-dear friend wish to see me again?" he asked, striking a pose to try and avoid his gaze it seemed. He had a hand on his forehead, looking into it and the other on his hip. His shined brightly, almost overwhelming him with such a sight.

"No, I just wished to return this. It had fallen out while you were walking and my tapping didn't get your attention." he explained himself, handing the bright object back to its owner.

"O-Oh." he seemed a bit deflated for a moment, the rather unnerving 'V' smile never leaving his face. He then looked at Tokoyami, the blush still present. The boring, unblinking eyes watched him and it made him want to shiver for a moment. How did he do that?!

"Why thank you, monsieur. I must g-give my saviour a gift for his bravery and kindness!"

"I just returned your wallet Aoyama." he deadpanned, watching him start to blush again.

"Well, still! I must repay you." he said, grabbing one of the gaudy candies and heading to the register. Tokoyami followed with his own gathered object, watching Aoyama pay. He seemed quite ashamed of the crumpled banknote, his head which was held high seemed to almost want to hide itself in the white jacket.

"Here, for my hero, hohoho~" he tried to joke, handing him the bright treat.

"I still say it is not necessary, but thank you." he nodded, paying for the milk and following him out. He noticed they were going to the same station, gaining on him.

"How come me and Shouji have not seen your brightness on the station?"

"Oh! My Papa had picked me up on the first day and after that Maman was home and she did it. She wanted to spend time with me as much as she could." a _real _smile broke upon his lips, his walk getting a bit of a pep to it. It looked rather warm, with his eyes suddenly seeming very soft. Kind eyes full of love.

"Oh? Is her appearance at home rare?"

"Well, sadly yes." he rubbed the back of his head. "She is a world famous designer, so she is usually on the go. Balls, charity events and such. She is a busy woman." he talked proudly about her, his chest puffing out.

"Oh, well it happens." he nodded, a silence falling between them. Aoyama was still blushing, fidgeting with his manicured fingers. He felt a tingling at the back of his back, Dark Shadow was trying to escape from his prison of within.

**'C'mon pleaaaase Fumikage! I wanna say hi to shiny person.'** he begged loudly within his mind, like a spoiled child.

Tokoyami rubbed the bridge of his beak, before relenting. Dark Shadow quickly escaped and got between them.

"Hello!" He gurgled, his golden eyes seeming to twinkle for a second at Yuuga.

"Oh!" Aoyama jumped a bit and giggled at the little beast, petting his head. The beast of the night made a noise that certainly didn't suit it. "What a handsome monsieur! What a magnificent beak and dark being~ And the guy he belongs to looks okay." Aoyama smirked and looked up at Fumikage, making him stop for a second.

Tokoyami blinked, before chuckling and shaking his head.

"No wonder he likes you." Tokoyami rolled his eyes, feeling his chest become quite warm as Dark Shadow was enjoying the pats.

"Oh? He likes me?~ I just thought he just liked the attention and causing you trouble by escaping."

"That too!" Dark Shadow clapped his little claws together like hands, looking between them with a big smile.

"Dark Shadow, behave! You aren't a common house pet!"

"I think he is fine. Why would he have to always behave like some horrible beast if he doesn't want to?" Aoyama asked, scratching under his chin. Tokoyami shivered at the sensation, Dark Shadow having the time of his life.

"Well, he still shouldn't-" before he could continue, Dark Shadow piped up.

"What was the music you were listening to? Shiny person likes metal?" he asked, tilting his head like a small and untrained dog. It was rather adorable, but still!

"Oh-Oh! That!" Yuuga started blushing again, looking away.

"Why blush? Metal is good! Tokoyami loves it." he chirped, pushing Fumikage closer to the conversation. That blasted beast.

"Well...it's is j-just some pre-quirk music. My Papa introduced me to it and I occasionally listen to it. It's n-nothing special, monsieur."

"I bet it's cool! Pleaaaase?" he whined in the same tone as he did before being let out, turning on his big shiny eyes. Fumikage still couldn't believe that this is the same specter that forces control of him in the dark, that nags at his mind. That whispers dangers and mad things-

'**He said yes, stop monologuing'** Dark Shadow quickly pulled him out of his thoughts, with a rather red Yuuga offering one of the golden earphones to him. Tokoyami blinked a few times, before taking it and putting it in. Soon the familiar dark melody from before filled his mind, the vocals strong and spoke to ones soul. They walked closely together because of the length of the gold line. But he didn't mind it, it was just listening to music. They walked together in step, with Dark Shadow smirking and rubbing his claws together behind the pair. Like an evil mastermind whose first step of the plan was successful.

* * *

**Notes:**

**Ello! The lyrics/song belong to the talented band of Demon Hunter!** **The song is I Will Fail You, look them up if you wish!**  
**See ya guys at the next chapter! ^-^ I can't wait to see your comments and such, they help keep me going!**


	5. What are you? A feline?

**AN: First off: *puts gramaphone to my mouth* WE GOT A BETA PEOPLE, WE GOT A BETA WHO IS MUCH BETTER THAN WRITTING THAN ME AND DESERVES ALL THE THANKS FOR PUTTING UP WITH ME**

**Aiedail Liadeia (is the username and they are on this site!) a blessing, especially considering I know nothing about makeup so they helped me in the right direction and with some Tokoyami characterization. Please, go check them out if you have the time!**  
**Now on TO THE ANGST**

* * *

Yuuga was awakened, he blinked sleepily. After a few moments he found out what had awoken him. Loud yelling, loud _french _yelling to be exact.

He heard his boyfriend's breath hitch, feeling his two arms wrapping around him. Aoyama felt his cheeks heat up and looked up. Fumi was rather on edge, Dark Shadow hovering over them with a low growl. Even his feathers were spiked up, the ruby eyes looking ready to attack.

"Fumi," he whispered, reaching up. Every cell in his body screamed from pain, but Fumikage was more important. He couldn't let him be so stressed. He shifted ever so slightly, the hold on him tightening.

"**Fumi**," he said with a clearer voice, his eyes finally looking away from the door. The sparkly one cupped his beak and kissed it, before quickly pulling away with a mischievous smile.

"Je t'aime."

Just two words and yet the 'dark hero' was blushing so deeply it showed on his feathers, starting to sputter, while his shadow hid its face behind its sharp claws which could rip a person open. Worked like a charm~

Before Aoyama could continue to admire the most handsome man ever created, the door was opened rather loudly. At the sound Yuuga squeaked, feeling his whole body shake. He was pulled closer, his head resting against Tokoyami's shoulder. Before any more fear could fill him, a voice cut through everything.

"Bébé?" A voice softer than silk, warmer than the sun on a spring day and filled with age. A hiss echoed in the quiet hospital room, Tokoyami shifting as Dark Shadow continued to hover over them like an aggressive guardian angel.

"Ma-Maman?"

"_ Baby? W-What...What happend _?"

"_ Mom, I am so sorry. It's all my fault, it's all– _" his apologies were cut off by Fumi's loud exhale of air, he was obviously annoyed.

"I swear to the gods, you should not be the one apologizing. You were the one hurt!"

Aoyama slowly pulled away and looked at him, wanting to apologize again. Instead he took a deep breath, turning and leaning against him. At the door he saw his Maman, she looked so different. Her beautifully kept hair looked like it had never been styled, her makeup runny and ruined and her designer clothes rumpled or filled with the stains from her makeup.

"_ Oh, baby. How... How did this happen? How long has this been going on? Why... Why didn't you tell me? _" She whispered, clearly distraught and shocked. She ran to his bed, her high heels clacking loudly. She embraced him, her rose perfume nearly suffocating him. But, he didn't mind. Maman was home, she was finally home. His body ached again from all the moving and squishing, but it didn't matter. Fumi was safe and his Maman was here. Guilt plagued him for a moment, making him want to cry. He had interrupted her work, he knew she was busy. For something so silly, for something-

Before his thoughts could continue, his chest felt so heavy. His head was heavy, everything felt like a weight upon his chest Suddenly he felt both of them squeeze him, neither wanting to let go, his throat and eyes started to burn. A familiar sensation by now, his nose starting to clog up. He couldn't hold it in anymore, tears and a soft sob leaving him. Relief, relief filled him. For the first time in what felt years, he felt relief. He felt safe. He felt okay. He knew it wouldn't last, nothing good lasted for long. But they were okay, they were _okay _.

* * *

The bell rang loudly, the whole class quickly packing up to leave for lunch. Tokoyami yawned, rubbing at his eyes. Dark Shadow had raged in the night, whispering thoughts of horrific scenes and trying to force him more than usual. Nothing had really helped, with the disco ball and flashlight only distracting the beast for a few moments of respite.

Shoji was waiting by the door, one of his hands holding his backpack. As Fumikage got up, he noticed that the only one lingering was Aoyama.

Dark Shadow had pointed it out quite loudly and it was hard to ignore him, sharing a mind really was a curse at times.

'**Sparkles! Why is sparkly boy the last one here?**'

_'I do not know, he is probably just packing up slowly or has things on his mind _.' Tokoyami quickly dismissed it, not in the mood to deal with Dark Shadow's sparkly obsession.

Mezo raised a brow as Fumikage got closer, noticing his sluggish pace and many yawns. The dark and brooding classmate had nearly fallen asleep during math, before squawking awake after Denki had hit him with a ball of paper. Ectoplasm had luckily just went on with his teaching, probably used to such 'shenanigans' as he heard his classmates put it.

"I am fine. Dark Shadow had just exhausted me, our fight lasted until the morning dawn. A war of wits and will, which has simply left me exhausted."

"Ah." He nodded, his expression quickly becoming neutral again.

As they walked towards the cafeteria the sounds of everybody's voices got louder and stronger. It was like walking towards the eye of a storm, the headache and drowsiness making him want to walk away. Like a million hammers cracking at his skull, forcing all his energy to nearly dissipate at a blink of an eye.

A hand was gently put on his shoulder, making him flinch in surprise.

"Are you sure, you are fine?" Mezo leaned down, so they could talk a bit easier.

"I... I am not sure actually." Tokoyami softly admitted, his eyes wanting to close feeling ever so heavy.

"You should go to Recovery Girl's office, she could spare a bed for you to take a quick nap."

"But it would be silly of me to ask of such a thing, especially since I am not hurt." Using such a word as 'silly', he really was going mad. That and... he didn't to admit that Recovery Girl might scold him for something like that. Asking for something so childish while others are trying to recover from horrific injuries.

"Just tell Recovery Girl what happened, she would understand." Mezo said calmly, quickly seeing through Tokoyami like he was made of the most clearest of glass. "I can go with you, if you wish." He offered, turning to start walking away from the noise.

"Nonsense, I will not spoil your lunch with making you go along as some sort of guardian."

"Tokoyami–"

"No, go. I will see you in class." He said firmly, watching the giant hesitate before closing his eyes and sighing deeply.

"Fine. But please go rest." He nodded, heading back waving him goodbye. It was quite a fascinating sight, reminding him of many a creature he had read about as a kid.

He stepped slowly but surely towards his goal, before a trail of sparkles caught his eye. He blinked a few times, rubbing at his eyes to make sure it wasn't just his mind messing with from the lack of slumber.

'**I see them on the ground, sparkly boy walked here!**' Dark Shadow piped up excitedly, Tokoyami could already see him rubbing his claws together greedily. He looked down and there it was, a trail of sparkles slowly becoming one with the ground.

'**It leads to the stairs**!' The creature gasped within him, making Tokoyami wince as the headache got worse. He really needed to get some sleep, but his curiosity had been peaked. If this was Yuuga's trail, why did he go up there? Why would he spend his lunch there?

After a few moments of thought, he had realized that he had never really seen Aoyama at lunch. He left either as one of the first or one of the last and reappeared once classes started again. Where had he been going all this time? His fatigue was quickly forgotten as he started to follow the path. For some reason he felt anxious, he barely knew Aoyama, yet felt like this was off. He would expect him to spend lunch in the garden of the school, surrounded by as he said 'the most beautiful of things'.

He walked up the stairs, his body starting to feel heavy again.

**'But sparkly man**!' Complained Dark Shadow as Tokoyami wished to turn back.

'_ Dark Shadow I am exhausted _.'

'**I will play nice tonight, please? I wanna see good friend**.'

Fumikage let out a loud sigh, thinking for a bit. Dark Shadow only offered to contain himself for things he thought serious. After a few moments, he gave in and continued his path to the roof.

As he settled into the rhythm of walking, with his companion pointing out more vapid details of more items shining. But for some reason he went silent just before the top of the stairs, then he realized why. If you slightly strained your ears, you could easily hear frantic whispers and pleading. It was a mix of French and Japanese, but he could easily make out a few words being repeated over and over 'Papa', 'I am sorry!' and 'yes, Papa'.

The closer he got, the louder and desperate the pleading got. The atmosphere changed to a tense one, weighing on him even more than his lack of sleep. A spark of guilt appeared in his chest, why was he listening in? His classmate had a right to privacy! And here he was–

As that continued, he felt the familiar tingling of his shadow. Before he could question why he was out, he was cut off by a sob from outside. It was a muffled one, but one filled with pain. A deep pain and anguish, like one Tokoyami had never heard from somebody. It was followed by a few hiccups and quick breathing. It evened out eventually, followed by some swearing.

Dark Shadow quietly pushed him towards the door with his head.

"Sparkly man sounds sad." He whispered, his golden eyes looking worried.

"It's... It is none of our business really. Who knows what he is going through?" He whispered back, looking between him and the door. Dark looked annoyed, with an angry gurgle he pulled Fumikage towards the door. His big claws tried to grasp the doorknob, staring at Tokoyami to make him follow willingly. The feeling in his stomach, turning to ice. Like a heavy storm starting to produce hail, slowly moving up into his chest. His heart starting to ache with guilt for listening in, his headache returning with full force .

"Fine." He muttered, stepping forward to open the door. As it creaked open, he heard a sound of confusion and was greeted by a sight of Yuuga applying some sort of powder to his red face. He had a small round mirror in his hands, it could barely fit in somebody's hand. Tokoyami wasn't sure he had ever seen such a thing before, his own mother didn't like makeup on her feathers so to him, this was like watching a rather weird coloured dust being applied to his classmate's face. His eyes were still puffy, his hair looking like he had been nervously going through it. Both simply stared at each other, unsure how to react. Tension started to build up, with confusion, fear and a mask slipping on to Aoyama's face.

"May I ask what is tha-" Before Tokoyami could continue, Yuuga had snapped the mirror shut and it disappeared into the school bag as if it had never been there in the first place.

"I-I do not k-know what you mean!" His voice brittle and a bit wobbly, as if trying to recover his voice.

"Why is sparkly boy crying?" Suddenly piped in Dark Shadow, making himself appear smaller than usual. The matter was quickly forgotten as Tokoyami's chest suddenly felt a great pain, like being stabbed. Worry and anxiety, both oozing into him from Dark Shadow like a slow hell trying to trap him. It was much worse than his own fear, as it was trying to layer itself onto his own emotion.

"Oh, you little o-one–" his voice cracked ever so slightly, making him clear it so it didn't shake. "I am quite fine, just a small squabble." He explained calmly, but rang a few warning bells in Tokoyami's mind. He had had a good number of fights with his family like any person... but to make somebody break down in tears? Make them apologize for something over and over? It was unheard of to hurt a family member to tears.

"It must have been quite a bad one. You... do not seem like yourself." He tried to add in, as Dark Shadow was attempting to get himself into Yuuga's arms for more pets.

At that comment, Aoyama suddenly laughed. The laugh wasn't one filled with joy or happiness. It felt like a broken one, a sorrowful one and very forced. Like the last sound of an animal before being slaughtered.

"Oh, you two! It is just a small thing!" He quickly straightened himself, trying to appear calm. "Now, what are you two lovely monsieurs doing up here? Missing my beauty so much already?"

"I saw sparkles! Wanted to see you!" Dark Shadow explained, in his quite juvenile vocabulary. He beamed up at him, like a dog hungry for affection (which Yuuga was gladly giving).

"That is one of them, what about you? You do not seem to be at your best Tokoyami, why come here? Are you not tired?" He asked curiously, suddenly flinching as Dark Shadow started to rub himself against his arm.

"Shiny person okay?!"

"Just a small bruise." He reassured him, making Fumikage nearly raise a brow. Such a thing would surely not hurt to such a degree. As if anticipating that he would start to fall down to his thoughts, Aoyama's head snapped back up and his empty eyes stared at him once again.

"You never answered my question." He blinked very slowly, like an interested cat.

"Oh, I... Mostly followed Dark Shadow. He was quite worried about you and your whereabouts."

"Oh! What a sweetie! Worried about fabulous ol' me? Hohoho!" He put a hand to his lips, glancing down at the creature.

After a few more minutes the silence that had settled seemed comfy. Relief radiated of the demon attached to him, following up with a warmth of being pet. A yawn escaped his beak, Yuuga glanced up.

"You need some rest monsieur, I saw- well heard the aftermath of what happend. Do you wish for me to escort you to Recovery Girl?"

"I am quite fine, I will get more sleep tonight. Do not worry yourself, I am the darkness itself! Such a thing will not deter me."

"But it can hurt you." Yuuga winced, not looking convinced.

"I am fine, Aoyama." He tried to assure him, before another yawn escaped him.

"Though you were sayi–"

"Fine, fine, fine." He grumbled, trying to leave to go to the Recovery Girl. Maybe the beds will be–

A loud whimper and a tug made him stop and groan.

"But sparkles!"

"He needs his rest, little one. Let him go, for me?"

"But he can rest here! I barely see shiny boy!"

"You see me on the train nearly every day, little one. Why would you miss me even? You see my beautiful self in class!"

"But snuggles!" He whined even louder, both of them a bit startled from the volume. Both spared a glance at each other, before Tokoyami relented with a huff. Dark Shadow pulled him closer, so he sat near Aoyama. Tokoyami rolled his eyes at Dark Shadow's behaviour, quietly apologizing. The sparky boy refused to accept it with a shake of his head, as they sat looking at each other.

"Oh! Have you eaten lunch yet?" He chirped, blinking a bit slowly.

"No, not really. Me and Shoji were heading to lunch but I never made it."

"Then let us have lunch and maybe you can take a nap?" He clapped his hands together, pulling at his bag to get it closer while Dark was getting comfy in his lap like a feline.

Yuuga shifted a bit, wincing ever so slightly as the creature was softly pressing his head at his stomach. Aoyama caught Tokoyami's gaze, quickly reacting. "Just from my belt, monsieur. The training has left me quite sore and bruised!" He sighed dramatically, throwing a hand to his forehead and extending the other. Well, at least he was acting like always. It shouldn't be anything, he himself had many injuries from training as well.

Fumikage brought his bag around and found his box, opening it to his meal. It was two rice balls, chopped vegetables, leftover sweet and sour pork, a granola bar, steamed potatoes with a small wasabi packet to dip his food in. He had gotten quite hungry he will admit, as he took his chopsticks to start eating. The ruby eyes of the raven wandered to his friend who had opened his own box. It looked rather... modest compared to Tokoyami's. There were crackers with some extremely thinly sliced cheese, a small container with cream cheese with carrots and cucumber slices next to it. The final touch were small white hearts, which Tokoyami could only guess as apples.

**'Mmm... Apples. We need to get some on the way home.**'

_'I know, I know... Are you not even embarrassed? You are not a feline.' _

'**Just say cat, god dammit Fumikage. But no, his lap is comfy and nice! And he is sooo warm, better than the bed in the morning.**'

Tokoyami sighed inwardly, glancing at the two. Aoyama was eating slowly, savouring the food. Every so often he would reach down to pet the misbehaving creature, filling his owner's chest with warmth and happiness every so often. It was a rather weird feeling, especially considering that the beast would contain those emotions within himself normally. Only strong ones or those he wished would spill into one another. He sent a questioning glance towards the beats who innocently changed positions.

As they both neared the end of their meal, Dark Shadow suddenly propped himself up and stared at the small heart apple slices. The big and sharp claws poked surprisingly gently at the pale hands of Aoyama, as if asking for permission.

"Hmm? Why of course! You also need your energy." The mask broke into a very sweet smile, as he gave two hearts to Dark Shadow who was suddenly overjoyed and squawking from the simple action. Yuuga scratched him under the chin, before looking up at Tokoyami. For some reason he seemed suddenly very bashful, before the small box was offered at Tokoyami.

"Would you also wish for one?" He asked quietly, not meeting his gaze.

"Oh... I actually would, this is really kind of you. But are you sure? My lunch was quite filling, I do not wish to steal from you."

"Non, non, non! Just take it, I saw that you were eyeing them. Do you also like apples like your companion?"

"We both share a liking for the treat of nature, yes." He nodded, taking two with his chopsticks and savouring the sweet flavour.

"How adorable! He is like a mini you!" Yuuga gasped, putting his face between two hands. Those violet eyes bore into him again, his heart racing a bit. For some reason that gaze activated what felt like his flight or fight response.

"I wish." Tokoyami snickered, watching the demon give him a glare from Yuuga's lap. Aoyama giggled at the exchange, before Tokoyami yawned again. After such a meal he got quite tired again.

"How about you get some rest, monsieur? There is still time until class." Yuuga said, after quickly checking his phone.

"I suppose it would be a good course of action, but it would be quite rude to leave you alone with my companion."

"Non! None of that, go sleep!" Yuuga shooed him, his nose scrunching up in a rather cute manner– dear god how tired was he? He must sleep before he would think of something even more horrifying.

So Fumikage had disrobed his jacket, folding it to form a sort of pillow. What he didn't notice was his classmate blushing ever so slightly, covering his mouth not to squeak. He hadn't realized for a moment what was going on while the french one's mind was going to a wild place. Dark Shadow was sniggering, his theory had been confirmed.

Tokoyami had laid down, closing his eyes. The sun was shining warmly and the birds were singing a lullaby to his ears.

But for some reason he felt uneasy, suddenly ahead of his thoughts a cold wind cut through his body. He shivered, hugging himself after taking a deep breath. A small sound came from the direction of Aoyama, who was suddenly removing his jacket. Before Tokoyami could object, Yuuga was already next to him.

"I believe, you need something to keep you warm." He muttered, his face turning a soft pink. It spread across his cheeks like ink spilling on paper and continued its path without any way of stopping.

Tokoyami hesitated, before exhaling and thanking him, again. He did too much for him, in his own opinion. Such a glittery and bright heart, his classmate had.

As he put it over himself, he felt the warmth of the previous owner wash over him from the jacket. A scent of rose perfume quickly became obvious, but it wasn't too much. He must admit, it felt quite pleasant, as if laying in bed with many roses blooming around him. Also cheese and some of dust or powder, he wasn't sure why the former was so strong though. Alas, his mind was quickly lost to sleep instead of being able to wonder about it.

Dark Shadow was left alone, feeling Tokoyami fall asleep. Drowsiness entered his own being, but he wanted to push on. Sparkly boy was so nice to be with, he felt calm with him. Not harsh like the sun during the day and not fueling his power like the moon in the dead of night. But there was something had had noticed once the jacket had been removed. Two big bruises peaked through the white shirt on Yuuga's shoulders and he seemed quite uncomfortable whenever it pressed down because of the shifting fabric. Temptation piqued at his mind to ask, but Tokoyami's exhaustion was starting to ooze in quite strongly. All he could do was give the french one a confused look before falling a victim to slumber as well.

Both were rudely awakened to a loud alarm. It seemed that somebody had broken in through UA's defences as panic was heard from within the school. Yuuga was pressing his hands against his ears, looking annoyed at worst at this. Both felt just a bit worried, but not strong anxiety. Why would they? All of the faculty was pro heroes, though it was a unnerving thought. Why would somebody want to break into a hero school? The two classmates looked at each other, before heading down the stairs to evacuate.


	6. Makeup

**Notes:**

**It lives?**  
**IT LIIIIIIVES**

**But my social life doesn't anymore ;w;**  
**Don't we just love exams?**  
**Fun fact, I have a lot of plot points planned so don't be afraid. This isn't going anywhere you hear? Just gonna need some time.**  
**Again, big thanks to my beta, who is saving my ass. Go give some love if you want! Aiedail Liadeia** **is right here on this site!**

* * *

She took a deep breath, getting up from the bed. She looked at the shadowy beast above her child's bed—his name was Dark Shadow if she remembered correctly? She really must inquire about it again—which was watching the door vigilantly. She pressed her lips together, exhaling. Yuuga had fallen asleep again, the painkillers had to be so strong. The thought of how much pain he was in made her stomach stir, feeling like bile was rising up.

She quickly left the room, her legs feeling weak. Outside she was met with a pro hero leaning against a wall, his arms crossed. He was rather familiar, more than most heroes. Then it hit her.

"You...You teach English at UA, don't you?" She asked softly, the man jumping a bit from her speaking.

"Oh! Yes, I do ma'am!" He had a forced smile on his face, his fingers tapping against his leather jacket.

"Do-Do you know what had been happening to my, sunshine? I remember him mentioning your classes the most in the best of tones." She sat down feeling rather dizzy. She hadn't eaten since she had gotten the call.

A look of pain crossed Present Mic's face, slowly shaking his head. The tapping stopped as he gripped the edges of the jacket, as if trying to push down any heavy emotions.

"I...I must apologize. I had not seen anything out of place. His English is great, near the top of the class. But the little listener never caught my attention outside of that. He worked hard, only answered if asked and seemed to keep to himself." He was being unusually quiet, a look of sorrow in his eyes behind those coloured glasses.

"Well, still thank you monsieur." She sadly smiled, taking her shoes off with a sigh of relief. She hoped her luggage would arrive soon, her feet were simply killing her. She got up, asking one of the nurses where the cafeteria was before disappearing down the seemingly endless halls.

She soon came back with two plastic steaming cups. Before Mic could object, she calmly handed him the warm drink. She shook her head at the hero, and went at the door to check inside the two boys were still sleeping soundly, the shadowy creature nearly hissing at her before recognizing the woman. She gave a little wave, the rather adorable spirit returning it. She quietly closed the door, taking a sip. The tea warmed her chest, making her close her eyes.

"What do I do?" She muttered to herself, her hand pushing back the hairs that had fallen on her face. How can a quirkless mother protect her son? His father had always been stronger in all the ways she wasn't. As she sat there, watching the flickering lights, a sense of hopelessness overcame her and a prickle of anger towards her husband started to niggle in her chest. Soon enough one of the nurses approached her and escorted so that she could be given the whole plan of Yuuga's treatment. She glanced at the room once more as she followed the nurse away. She turned around, dread threatening to take over. But one single thing was keeping it at bay. Her love for her baby. She needed to be strong for him, she needed to actually be there for him now. She exhaled through her nose, her footsteps picking up to actually walk with the nurse. First thing was getting her sunshine somewhere safe, away from all of this

* * *

"Hey! Frenchie!"

Yuuga nearly fell back as a big pink face appeared in his field of vision. Mina giggled as she watched him flounder, before grabbing his arm and steadying him. She didn't notice the flash of pain going over his face as she had grabbed him.

"W-Why mademoiselle! What to I owe the p-pleasure? Did you miss my shining physique?" He hummed, trying to keep his face neutral. His arm still felt sore, a few more bruises had started to form after yesterday. Well he had deserved them for being so lazy, this was just part of the consequences.

"Wanna go out for ice cream later?! A few of us are going!"

"I-I am not sure I would be allowed. I must be home at the right time to make lunch and do my chores."

"Awww! That is-wait you cook?"

"Why, of course! Papa works hard every day and I have more than enough time to make something as delectable as me!"

Mina raised a brow at that. He had time? She could barely fall into bed once she came home, how does he have time to cook, do chores and do homework? She decided he needed a break!

A sly smirk slithered on to her face as she leaned forward and whispered.

"Would you perhaps change your mind if a certain bird like classmate was involved?" She teased,watching the heat rise to Aoyama's face as he looked away.

"I-I will see w-what Papa will say." He spoke tremulously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You have it soooo bad for him!" She kept her voice low, knowing that he would probably strangle her if her voice became too shrill. That is what her old classmates nearly did anyway.

"Oh, shush mademoiselle." He smiled, but it didn't really reach his eyes.

During lunch, she had joined the little trio on the roof; Mezo, Tokoyami and Yuuga. It was an interesting sight to behold. Mezo and Yuuga both giving the little shadow attention, the first of them with gentle pats or scratches. The other full on cooing and hugging him, with Dark Shadow gladly accepting such affection. Tokoyami was pretending to not be affected by it, though she swore she saw a blush under those feathers.

Once most of them finished their boxes, Yuuga quietly offered the rest of them some of his. He had brought sliced fruits, particularly apples. Shoji had politely declined, while Tokoyami was obviously eyeing up the apple slices. Mina's eyes got wide as an idea formed and she got up, asking Shoji to help her with something. Right before she left she mouthed at Yuuga. 'Go get him!' Yuuga blushed madly, realizing what she had set up.

* * *

As the door closed behind the two of them. Dark Shadow looked at the door, before trying to get comfy in Yuuga's lap once again. It was taking all of him to not flinch as Dark Shadow was pressing against many wounds that were still healing.

To try and distract himself, he offered the slices to Tokoyami who hesitantly reached for one of them.

"Come now, monsieur. They do not bite!" He tried to smile, but failing as he saw the doubtful expression on Tokoyami's face.

"Have you been okay, Yuuga?" He quietly inquired, biting down on the food.

That honestly threw the blonde for a loop. He wanted to say no. He hadn't been, but everything bad had always been his own fault. He should not complain. Instead he put on a quizzical expression, tilting his head.

"Why would I not be okay, Tokoyami?" He hummed, snacking on one of the pieces.

"You seem to flinch a lot and your complexion is rather pale."

"I just get distracted! Do not worry! And moi?! Pale?" He gasped, reaching into his bag and pulling out the small hand mirror. He pretended to not notice the confused looks the classmate was giving him. Sure enough, his face seemed much paler than usual. He must have messed up the shades while he was quickly applying it in the morning! Curse his alarm! He hesitated for a moment, before reaching into his bag once more and getting out some face wipes. He used these for emergencies and if this wasn't an emergency, he didn't know what else would be.

"It is just my makeup! The shade is all wrong!" He assured Tokoyami, before trying to get it off in a hurry. Then he realized something. Fumikage would see him without the cosmetics. See his _ plain _ and simply horrible face. But the damage was done, he had already smudged it with the wipe and he needed to remove it anyway. Well he could always go to the bathroom! He would get weird looks and called the usual names, but anything was better than Tokoyami seeing how plain and boring he actually was. The next question threw him off guard though.

"What is all of this?" Asked Tokoyami, with Dark Shadow poking at the wipe. All he could do was blink, before he realized that his classmate was serious. When he had asked him before he had thought he was going to mock him, yet...he actually wanted to know? He bit his lip, before slowly speaking.

"Well, makeup. Something to add an extra flare to myself!"

"But, why?"

_ Because I am ugly? Simple and uninteresting? _

_ Because it is the only way somebody might notice me? _

"I don't really know! It makes me feel pretty and I like it!"

"But sparkle boy is already pretty!" Whined Dark Shadow, surprising both of them and Yuuga blushed madly.

"I feel rather plain without it, little shadow." He explained the little one just shrugging.

"But sparkly boy is pretty, nice, funny-" he quickly got cut off by Tokoyami who looked rather sheepish.

"S-So how does one apply it?"

"Oh! We-well I start with a primer so it stays on longer and better! I apply the foundation, more or less to even out the areas. I have to be really careful with it, since too much is never good!" He gently wiped it down himself. Then he got his phone, and showed pictures to Tokoyami as he explained. As he continued to explain, he seemed to be listening and actually seemed interested in what he was talking about.

His heart fluttered at that and tried not to blush once again. Damn those enticing eyes!

Though as he explained, Dark Shadow started getting quite moody. At first, it was just him seeming impatient. His claws tapping against the floor and watching the makeup with an angry look. Then after a few minutes he tried to steal the ones that Yuuga put down, with Aoyama barely getting them away from his dark claws. Then he just tried to force himself back into Yuuga's arms, nearly making him drop what he was currently applying.

Fumikage scolded him harshly and the shadow whined back.

"Shiny boy looks stupid with it!"

"He prefers to wear it! Do not act like a spoiled child!"

"You think he looks better without it and you know it!" Dark Shadow bit back and a moment of silence fell over them. Yuuga was taken aback while Tokoyami looked taken aback at the statement. Tokoyami's face didn't show more than that and Aoyama felt rather uneasy because of that. He could only imagine what the monsieur was thinking. Dark Shadow huffed and disappeared back into the classmate, leaving the two of them truly alone.

"...Is it true?" Aoyama asked tentatively, finally breaking the silence.

Tokoyami gaped like a fish out of water for a moment, his beak slowly closing.

"Maybe." He admitted after another long moment, looking away. "I just believe you should not hide yourself under so many chemicals and powders. A natural look suits you quite well just as you are now."

The blush returned once more to his cheeks, a true smile breaking upon his lips. He giggled, scratching the back of his head as he looked quite bashful at such a compliment.

"Well thank you monsieur, I truly do appreciate it. You aren't so bad yourself." He winked, his posture suddenly much more relaxed. Though before the moment could last any longer, the door flew open with Mina coming with a very confused Mezo.

"What did she need you for?" Asked Tokoyami as they sat down, while Mina interrogated Yuuga about something that he couldn't quite hear.

"Honestly?" Mezo glanced at Mina and back at him. "She and Kaminari needed help to haul a giant crate. No idea what for and she acted rather shady." He told him in a hushed voice, as the girl squealed and hugged the boy saying: 'How quickly they grow up!' as Yuuga became red in the face and quickly said something in French. He flinched as she moved towards him to give him a hug. Though he didn't seem to mind it once he realized it was just that, a hug. He shook his head and sighed, ruffling her big hair. She batted his hand away and they both let out a small laugh.


	7. Sunshine

**AN: Thank you guys for your paitence! Here is the next chapter, hope you like it. Trigger warning here for the start of the abuse in this chapter. After the outing ends, it is gonna start so just avoid the second part of the chapter if you aren't feeling well. Stay safe and sparkly my readers!**

**Big thanks to my beta Aiedail Liadeia, go give them some love if you can!**

* * *

Yuuga took a deep breath, relief washing over him as he hung up. His Papa had allowed him to go! He had nearly shouted from delight when he had been given permission as long as he returned by 6 o'clock.

As he came out of the school, a pink head poked out from a corner.

"And? What did he say?" Mina asked in anticipation, nearly shaking from excitement. She was quite adorable like that, excited for everything that is to come. Her hopes high and a smile on her face. A smile broke his mask as he told her the news. She screamed from happiness and hugged him.

"M-Mademoiselle!" The air had been squished out of his lungs as she was pressing on all the bruises. But she meant well, she was happy.

Mina smiled and giggled, grabbing him by the hand. A small group consisting of Tokoyami, Uraraka, Mezo, and Kaminari were waiting for the two. He was dragged towards them by the happy mademoiselle who waved at them with her free hand. He chuckled as Dark Shadow emerged from the avian classmate and started waving back at them, Tokoyami blushing and scolding him. Though Dark Shadow didn't seem to care as he gave Mina a high five and hugged Aoyama once again. The little beast was warm, making little chirps and hums as he seemed quite content in Yuuga's arms. Aoyama and Tokoyami both blushed, but neither seemed to notice that the other was flushed keeping their eyes down. Mina and Uraraka shared a look, though Yuuga couldn't figure out what was it for.

* * *

Tokoyami honestly wouldn't have agreed to this normally. But after Mina's pestering wouldn't stop and Mezo saying he would also be joining, he had decided to accept the invitation. He walked at the back of the group, with Dark Shadow chattering like a child with Mina at the front. He was talking with Mezo, while trying to ignore how sparkles flew right before his eyes. Yuuga was explaining something he couldn't quite hear to Uraraka, the little things flying off him in all directions. He was quite passionate about so many things, and Tokoyami could respect it. Even if he didn't understand why he loved makeup or fashion so much, but somehow the blonde made it so interesting to listen to. There was just something so captivating about him.

Before that train of thought could continue, Shouji spoke up trying to get his attention.

"Tokoyami? Are you even listening to me?"

"Oh!" He quickly snapped his gaze back at the giant classmate, who had raised a brow. "Apologies, I had gotten momentarily distracted."

"I had noticed." For a moment Mezo hesitated before asking. "Do you like him? Like, you know?" He didn't seem sure how to imply what he wanted, as Fumikage blinked a few times.

"What do you mean, Shouji?" He asked carefully, keeping his voice down.

"I think you know what I mean. I see how you look at him and you always seem distracted by him."

"Isn't that a bit far-fetched?" Tokoyami asked, not seeming convinced. It sounded completely preposterous to him, why would he be interested in Aoyama? "I think that we are too different for anything like that. Me and Dark Shadow are creatures of darkness. We share nothing in common with Yuuga."

"Yet you two always seem in conversation over something. Opposites attract." Mezo offered, as Tokoyami shook his head. "Well, if you think so." He shrugged, Tokoyami grateful that the topic was dropped. But he wasn't sure why he was grateful, it was just a silly topic. Right?

Before he could dwell on it too much, they had arrived to ice cream stand. Dark Shadow had returned since Mina was preoccupied with salivating over all the possible flavours. He glanced at the price list and blinked in surprise. 180 yen for a single scoop? Even if it was two flavours, that much was quite absurd for a meager scoop of ice cream. Tokoyami sighed, looking at his classmates, each one of them getting out their wallets. Except Uraraka, looking wistfully at the ice cream being given to Denki. He was going to ask her if she wanted a scoop, he would have paid if she had forgotten her wallet or something similar.

But a very quiet curse caught his attention. Yuuga was desperately looking through what little change he had. Aoyama was looking through the last of his money to be able to afford this. Tokoyami watched as Uraraka seemed to have noticed this, leaning over and asking if he was okay. Aoyama hesitated, before nodding. He then put on one of his fake smiles, seeming to have decide on something. He scraped up the last of his change in his wallet and asked her for her favourite flavours. She blinked a few times, before answering while obviously confused. Her eyes widened as all of them heard him loudly order a scoop of strawberry and vanilla, getting the cone into his delicate hands. Mina and Denki gave a simple glance, before continuing to discuss something about pro heroes. Uraraka and Yuuga moved out of the way, Mezo ordering a scoop for himself.

Fumikage watched as he handed her the cone, a weak smile on his lips.

"Yuuga! I can't accept this!" Uraraka frantically whispered, nearly throwing it back at him.

"You can and you shall! I can order it any time I wish, and you dear mademoiselle looked like you needed something to cheer you up. Frowning will give you wrinkles, you know?" He teased, Uraraka puffing out her cheeks at him. "It is money well spent, you can throw it away if you wish." He flipped his fringe and crossed his arms. Uraraka blushed and shook her head, thanking him. Before Tokoyami could continue to watch the conversation Mezo gently poked him. He quickly ordered his own flavours, and sat down a bench nearby with his friend. He looked up at Shouji, who gave him a questioning look.

"He just gave her the ice cream."

"I know, rather nice of him." He commented, one of the mouths on his arms enjoying the sweet treat.

"Shiny boy is always nice!" Chirped Dark Shadow, scaring the crap out of Mezo, who hadn't anticipated the creature to be out.

"Please stop scaring my classmates." Tokoyami groaned as Dark Shadow simply grinned like a mischievous child. That was a big no from what he knew of the creature, but what else was new?

They all enjoyed the warm weather, under the shade. Tokoyami had closed his eyes and was listening to the conversations. Yuuga was boasting to Mezo about a new recipe he had found and thought was 'quite magnifique', while Uraraka and Mina were nearly squealing over a band they both quite enjoyed. The calm was interrupted by a loud gasp.

"Aoyama? Are you okay?" Asked Mezo, Tokoyami quickly opening his eyes. Yuuga had gone deathly pale and was trying to get his uniform jacket back on. His phone was on the ground, showing the time.

"Non, non, non, non, non!" He gasped, quickly closing the jacket and scrambling for his phone. Mezo grabbed his arm and spoke loudly, nearly making Fumikage flinch.

"Yuuga! What is wrong?"

The blonde looked up, his violet eyes screaming with fear.

"I am going to be late! Papa is going to kill me!" He said frantically, Uraraka and Mina both looking worried for him.

"Aren't you overreacting? You can still catch the train, the station is like a 5 minute walk away." Mina looked confused, Yuuga taking a deep breath and nodding.

"Quite right, maybe I am just overreacting." He let out a strained laugh, his usual sparkling seemed much less intense. "I always do dramatize so much! I apologize for the panic." He said, his voice still shaky. Mezo didn't seem sure, but still let go. Yuuga quietly said goodbye, before quickly going off towards the station.

"What the hell was that?" Asked Mina out loud, voicing everybody's thoughts.

'Is shiny boy going to be okay?' Suddenly asked Dark Shadow in his mind, startling him.

'I don't know why he wouldn't be. It is just a few minutes.'

'I guess.' The voice quietly trailed off, before everybody returned to their conversations.

* * *

Yuuga kept his head low, eyes on the table as he was quietly eating the pizza. His Papa had offered to bring home dinner since he went out with his classmates. His nose wrinkled as a new bottle of beer was opened, the stench of cheap alcohol mixing with the scent of the wine he had just finished. Yuuga hated the smell of alcohol, his stomach churning whenever it hit his senses.

The silence between them was palpable, with Yuuga's throat feeling like he was trying to swallow a snowball that refused to go away.

"So how was it?" The man asked lazily, sipping on on his beer. His green eyes bore into his son, making him feel even smaller. Yuuga jumped a bit, not having been paying attention.

"May you repeat yourself, please?" He asked with a weak voice, looking up to meet his Papa's eyes.

"How was the whole, ice cream thing? Got any good information? Saw anything?" He inquired, Aoyama sighing inwardly. Of course he wouldn't ask if he had fun or how were his friends. His gaze slowly dropped to the man's shirt where his glasses were sitting in the shirt pocket.

"Not exactly anything useful." He answered modestly, he didn't want to tell him what he had learned. That Uraraka was from a poor background and tha-wait he could possibly use Mina's nature. He hadn't given too much about her yet.

"That was a waste of time." Scoffed his Papa, looking disappointed. "But are you sure you learned nothing? What about that bird classmate you mentioned? What was it? Futokami?"

"T-Tokoyami. And no, he kept to himself." He explained, watching the man crinkle his nose. "B-But I did get some information on Mina!"

"Who?" He raised a brow, not seeming that interested.

"T-The acid user I mentioned!"

That somewhat peaked his interest, it made him put his utensils down.

"Well, don't keep me waiting." He put on an encouraging smile, Aoyama slightly relaxing. He was still in a good mood, maybe he could be a good child! Maybe he could make Papa proud!

"W-Well she is rather emotional and excitable! And very strong physically."

"Ah, so she follows her heart. You could probably easily manipulate her, good thinking." He nodded, taking another swig of the beer. "It would be good to get her under you, you will see. The school year is still young. Though, nothing else?" He asked, still seeming unsatisfied. Yuuga loathed this, how his Papa spoke of his friends. Like pawns in a game he should play. He just wanted someone to talk to, not control.

"N-Not r-really." His voice almost broke as that strong gaze returned on to him.

"Still means you have something. Tell me." His voice sent a clear message: it wasn't a suggestion, it was an order.

"Oh, uhm...U-Uraraka-" He noticed how his Papa looked confused, clearing his throat. "-the anti gravity user. She erm...c-comes from a very poor background. She could n-not afford the ice cream. I had bought it for her."

His Papa smiled wolfishly at that, nodding.

"Oh, what a good strategy! Get on their good side! People will always want money out of people like us. You get on her good side and she is easier competition. You mentioned she will probably specialize in natural disasters?" Yuuga nodded slowly at that, feeling so guilty to have outed the kind girl like that. "Pfah! Then you don't need to worry at all! When you are number one hero, she will be just a speck of dust trying to save people under rubble as you fight with the best."

Yuuga swallowed and nodded, keeping his 'V' smile up.

"Who else was there with you?"

"Well, the electric quirk user and the one with the arm mutations." He had given up on trying to have his father learn their names. Maybe it was for the best.

"And they gave you nothing? What did they even talk about? Anything of use?"

"Not exactly. The electric quirk user was talking about Mount Lady and the one with the arm mutations talked with Tokoyami. I believe about some band, Tokoyami didn't seem to be listening since he had to repeat himself a few times." He couldn't get himself to refer to Tokoyami by just his quirk and especially considering that Dark Shadow was just as much of a person as he or Papa was.

Yuuga didn't really notice, how his father raised a brow that he wasn't referring to the boy by his quirk, too busy fretting and feeling guilty over how he had talked about everybody.

"And Dark Shadow was chatting with the acid and electric user. He seemed quite happy-"

"He?" His Papa asked slowly, interrupting him without a second thought.

"Well, yes. He is a part of Tokoyami, a living being with his own personality."

"It's a quirk! It's not as if it's a person." He scoffed, reaching behind himself to fix his ponytail which had begun to come undone.

"B-But he is! He and Tokoyami are different people entirely! One is emotional, affectionate and has a fascination with s-sparkly things! The other is observant, quiet, more into himself and seems colder on the outside! Even Tokoyami himself c-commented they are completely different!" He could barely contain his voice, it slightly cracked as he talked.

"And you didn't tell me this sooner, because?" He asked with a triumphant smirk. Aoyama blushed madly, covering his mouth with shaking hands. His purple eyes looked at the man, as a pit formed in his stomach. "Answer me." Hissed his Papa, Yuuga slowly lowering his hands.

"Y-You told me t-to tell you about today. And I didn't t-think such things would-"

"DON'T YOU LIE TO ME!" The man jumped up, Yuuga squeaking. He glared down at Yuuga, forcing him to look away. His whole body wanted to shake as he gripped the side of the shirt he was wearing, trying to control what little he could in such a situation. Don't show you are weak, don't show you have feelings. Don't show that he was right.

"I really t-thought you wouldn't w-want to know! Since you think of Dark Shadow as a mere quirk! Not s-seeing i-it as important." He was either digging his grave deeper or pulling himself out. He never knew with his Papa.

The man scoffed, sitting back down. He started cleaning his glasses, his voice becoming silky smooth.

"Though, you honestly seem to care a lot about this Tokogame-"

"T-Tokoyami-"

"Please, don't interrupt me." He said with an edge of his voice, those green eyes glowing dangerously. Yuuga quickly ducked his head, his whole body now starting to visibly shake. "You seem to care a lot about this, Tokoyami. As if you care for him, you almost sound like your aunt defending one of her boyfriends!" He snickered, watching Yuuga try and make himself smaller. "As if you…" he trailed off, the other shoe finally dropping. He narrowed his eyes and put on the glasses. "You don't have a crush on him, do you Yuuga?" He asked, taking his beer to take a sip.

Aoyama blushed madly, his purple eyes widening. That was all his Papa needed, letting out a loud sigh before he could defend himself. He reached into his pocket and got out a small paper. Aoyama recognized it as there was a certain part highlighted. His Papa had a camera above the door to keep track of whenever the door was opened or closed, even alerting him when the hour was unusual for it to be happening. Supposedly for intruders or robbers. Yuuga had been 7 minutes late home, he had hoped his Papa wouldn't check. That he wouldn't disappoint him like he always does.

"First you come home late, you lie to my face like some kind of bitch and then you have the gall to fall in love with some kind of mutant freak? Which you can't even have possible children with? Do you just hate me so much? Do you love making me suffer? Do you want to end up like your mother? Somewhere away from the family, forcing your partner to take care of the household?" His voice slowly rose as he spoke, the heat in the room becoming unbearable.

"Non! Non! I-"

"Don't you dare use that language when speaking to me. You don't live there anymore, learn how to speak the better language properly! People are going to mock you, look at you as a foreigner. Nobody is going to love a hero like that!" The voice was nearly a yell, and Yuuga barely kept himself from covering his ears, guilt gnawing at his chest.

"Yes Papa, I am sorry Papa. I am-am so-so so-sorry Papa-pa." His lip quivered, as he tried not to cry. Alas a tear escaped him, and his Papa calmly passed him a napkin. Yuuga knew his father hated when he cried, when he showed how much of a 'girl' he was for not being able to keep it in like a real man should. He quickly blew his nose, looking back up at him.

"I just ask of you such simple things. Be home on time, help with the cleaning, don't lie and do a little bit of cooking. And then you go and decide to become a god damn gay. Though, I shouldn't be surprised. I was once your age as well, wanting to show my old man I could be great on my own. And where did that lead?"

"Y-You not b-being able to g-go to UA be-because of the i-injury." Yuuga whimpered, feeling so absolutely stupid and ungrateful.

"Yuuga, it hurts me that you are throwing away your future like this." He frowned, taking his son's hand. "I just want to be a good father, it is hard without your mom taking care of the household. I try my best, you know?" He said, squeezing his hand in a way that his Papa knew hurt. Too strong of a squeeze, his hand shaking from the pain. Yuuga bit his lip, just nodding along to what he said. It was going to be over soon, it needed to be over soon.

"You do know I will have to punish you for all of this? You have been quite a bad child." Yuuga nodded once again, barely holding back tears at this point. He nearly sighed from relief as his Papa let go of the hand and got comfy in his seat.

"Why don't we start simple? You clean up the dishes, clean the kitchen and living room tonight." A fleeting look of relief appeared on Yuuga's face as he nodded, before he saw his father take the wineglass he had been drinking from and let it drop loudly to the ground. Yuuga flinched, as he watched the remnants of wine twinkling in the light.

"Good, because I want this place spotless." There was a moment of silence, while his father looked down on him with a smug smile gracing his face

"What are you WAITING FOR?" He asked, his voice turning into a loud yell. Then he got up and grabbed the wine bottle. Yuuga quickly ducked, the bottle hitting the wall behind him where his head had been seconds ago. The stench of alcohol thickened in the air, as the man got up and left with his beer. Yuuga had hid in the nearby corner, shaking like a leaf hit by the wind. He had covered his face, pinned down in the corner as his Papa barely spared him a glance.

"Be thankful I am in a good mood, brat." He hissed, leaving the room, making Aoyama flinch again as the door slammed behind him. Once he heard the TV turn on in the next room over he let out the breath he was holding. He opened his eyes, be could barely see through them. He touched his face and realized that he was crying. He sniffled, getting up with with tremors wrecking his body. He gulped in air as if he hadn't breathed in years, before grabbing the dustpan and the broom. He barely could hold it still, his eyes still watering. He gave up on the smaller pieces, opting to pick them up with his fingers. His Papa knew he hated picking up glass, because he was afraid of-Ouch!

He winced, his finger starting to bleed. The sight of blood made him dizzy, made-

'Why are you afraid of your own blood? Are you some kind of weak child?'

Yuuga continued to pick up the pieces, cutting himself on the glass more and more until his own blood started mixing up with the wine on the ground. He felt so ungrateful, so guilty, so weak.

A sob escaped him as he was kneeling on the ground. A sob barely heard over the television yammering on in the other room as the child was left to pick up the pieces of what he could. Though, his mind was occupied, as always, with the worry of how to make Papa proud, how to not screw up again. He just wanted to make both of them proud, he just wanted to hear-

He jumped as his phone rang, picking it up and smearing some of the blood on it.

"H-Hello?"

"My little sunshine! How is my perfect child doing?!"

"M-Maman!" He gasped out, smiling through his tears as he heard her voice. He spoke lowly, not wanting to get his Papa angry for disturbing him.

"Honey? Are you okay? Are you crying?!" Gasped his Maman, making his heart break. Can't he do anything right?

"No-No. I am fine...Just...H-Had something s-stuck. In my throat." He quickly added, not wanting her to worry.

"And why are we whispering my sunshine?" She gently teased, probably trying to figure out what had happened.

"P-Papa had gone to rest. I don't wish to d-disturb him."

"Has he been nice? We had a fight and I hope he didn't take it out on you."

Yuuga took a deep breath, rubbing at his eyes with the edge of his sleeve.

"N-Non...He has been really nice. He let me go out with m-my classmates." Yuuga explained, slowly calming down. His hands hurt and his head felt heavier than lead. But it was his own fault, he just needed to get this done.

"Hmmm...If you say so my baby. Are you sure? That doesn't sound like him, especially on a bad day." Suspicion was becoming obvious in her voice as he tried not to panic. Just do as usual, distract her. Do ANYTHING, SHE CAN'T KNOW HOW HORRIBLE OF A CHILD YOU-

"Yuuga? Are you still there?" The familiar voice quickly snapped him out of his panic as he cleared his throat.

"Yes, yes! Apologies Maman! Do not worry. Papa is being simply wonderful. Though he did leave dinner earlier than usual to watch TV and get some beer."

"That does sound a bit like him. Wait, how much has he been drinking? Sunshine is he getting drunk again?" She asked, a bitter tone to her voice. It was a voice that was clearly remembering a time that everybody would rather forget.

"No, no! Not at all! Just a beer or two or some wine!" It wasn't really a lie. He didn't say how much in a day. It wasn't as much as 'drunk' as more buzzed.

"...Yuuga, does he drink the beer and wine in one day?" She saw through him completely. And he didn't blame her, he had covered for his Papa before. He started stammering, hissing as he cut his hand again on the glass. "That's it! I am coming home and kicking his shiny ass! He says I use unhealthy escapes yet he is gonna nearly end up in rehab!"

Aoyama paled, his mind trying to think of something.

"No, no! Maman! I...He...He is just having friends over! You know he is a social drinker!" He loathed this, lying to her. But, anything was better than her finding out. How much shame he would bring her.

"I suppose, but why did you hide it sunshine?" She asked carefully, he could almost imagine her squinting as she does when thinking hard.

"I-I j-just d-didn't want you wo-worried since you s-say that they are a bad influence!" He stammered out, his heart seeming to stop as he waited for any sign that said if she did or did not believe it.

"Baby, please. Are you telling the truth?"

"Of course I-I am!" He let out an undignified squeak, begging on the inside that she falls for it. A few moments of tense silence passed by, before she spoke again.

"I will believe you. But don't worry about telling me, especially if they make him drink a lot. You know you can always call me, right? No matter the time. Your number is going to go through even if my phone is muted." She asked tentatively.

His body instantly relaxed, nearly falling down as the relief washed over him.

"I know, Maman. I love you." His voice dropped to a whisper, as if afraid it would summon his Papa.

"How about the ice cream trip? Did that...what is her name?" She seemed to mutter the last part to herself as Yuuga heard her shift some papers around. "Oh! Right! Ashido girl? Did she join? And those two lovely boys you have told me about? Tokoyami and Shouji, if I remember correctly?"

"Ah, yes they did. And so did Kaminari and a very nice girl, Uraraka. It was a very pleasant outing." He chirped, smiling as he remembered relaxing in the shade, talking without any worries.

"Ohh! That sounds so very lovely! I will have to meet all these friends of yours, you know? Maybe we could invite them for some dinner! I think I still can cook!" She joked around, yawning on her side of the call.

"Oh! That would be so nice! When are you going to be home next?" He quickly jumped on to the opportunity to ask, he missed her so much.

"Hmmm, let me check my planner. But if all goes well with the hero agency we want to connect to, I should be back in two weeks! Maybe sooner. We still need to do that celebratory dinner for getting into UA. I am so sorry we didn't do it before."

"No, no! It is okay, Maman. You were tired, you coming home was already enough." He quickly said, not liking when she talked about herself like that. "You are a human, Maman. You shouldn't force yourself to do things for just me. It's okay, I promise." He told her, his hands aching with a searing pain.

"Well I do not think so, sunshine! Once I come back we are going to dinner AND we are going to go to that new hairdresser you mentioned. It has been way too long since we had a day for ourselves. It's gonna be fun, I promise! Now, how is school? I want to hear all the details."

The call continued for another half an hour, him dodging the more dangerous questions with the usual ease. He made sure it came back to his Maman talking about herself and what she was up to, but there was only so many topics he could use before the conversation skidded to a stop. Both were tired at the end of it, saying their usual good night. As he heard the line go dead, he finally felt the sting in his hands again from all the cuts. He slowly rose to his feet, throwing away the bits of glass and grabbing the first aid kit. He couldn't afford to hurt the wounds with cleaning agents, it was going to be a long night.

* * *

The evening passed uneventfully, barely getting his work done and falling into his hugged his pillow, wincing as his fingers ached. He never was as good at covering up his cuts as Papa or the doctor was. He closed his eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep. Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day.


	8. Bandages

**AN:** **Rose finaly getting off her ass to finish editing her chapter? More likely than you think during quarantine. I have the second chapter 3/4ths done and I had thought I could finish both but NAH apperently. Enjoy this for now! Again shout to to my lovely editor Aiedail Liadeia who is helping me with everything. Now, stay safe and enjoy the show**

* * *

Yuuga was awaken by the loud alarm and nearly fell out of bed. He sighed, his hands aching under the badly done patches. He rubbed at his eyes, quickly getting dressed and heading downstairs. He stopped by the door, and nearly hit himself for his stupidity. What would his classmates say if he came with such ugly hands?

He opened the dresser, hissing in pain at the constant protest of his sore hands when using them. It was tender and felt like it was burning half the time.

Yuuga quietly plucked out a pair of gloves and headed downstairs. His jacket was hanging over his shoulders, his footsteps slow and unsure. He barely made a sound, not wanting to wake his Papa up.

The steps were calculated, each one careful and planned. After so many years you learn where to step for the least amount of sound. Though in the morning it wasn't such a problem. He would never do anything just before school. Right?

A bad feeling settled itself in his stomach as he saw that the master bedroom door was open. _Oh no. _

His Papa was sitting in the kitchen, sipping coffee. Next to him was the first aid kit, a meager helping of french toast, a bit of tea and the man seemed to have prepared a few sandwiches for his lunch. He looked up, Yuuga nearly recoiling back.

"G-Good morning." He eventually was able to get out and sat down. The food was still warm.

"Good morning." He smiled, as he spoke he watched Aoyama like a hawk. The blonde looked down at his food, wincing as he picked up the cup of tea to take a drink. His hand was shaking, the tea threatening to spill.

"Why are you shaking? Afraid of your old man?" The dark-haired man laughed, Yuuga forcing himself to laugh as well. He put the cup down, trying to pick up the toast without trying to agitate his wounds. "Yesterday was quite the row we had, you are such a grumpy little man! You know I was just teasing you about your friends?" He spoke, both knowing how this would go. It was the same song and dance they had done for years, but it kept his Papa in a good mood. And it _was _his fault after all, wasn't it? He was the one acting out in such a disrespectful manner.

"Hohoho, why of course Papa. I apologize for acting out, so silly of me." He plastered on the 'V' smile, the man nodding.

"You shouldn't take such playful teasing seriously. We don't want you getting wrinkles."

Yuuga nodded once more, trying to pick up his cup again. His Papa cleared his throat, the blonde looking up.

"How about I help you?" He offered, gesturing to the first aid kit.

"O-Oh! That is very kind of you, but I-I will be okay."

"Are you sure?" He raised a brow, his smile fading.

Yuuga gulped, quickly thrusting his hands towards the man. He removed the bandages and frowned, criticizing his bandage placements. Yuuga's purple eyes stayed on the table, before quickly closing. He hissed as his Papa started roughly cleaning the wounds, gritting his teeth. He was opening a few of the ones that had closed up during the night.

"Oh, this is all just so wrong. I swear Yuuga, you are 15! These are things everybody needs to know." He shook his head, Yuuga nodding along. He really should. His Papa was always right.

* * *

Tokoyami had been listening to music on his headphones, before being quite rudely interrupted by a little voice.

'**Shiny boy! Shiny boy! Fumikage! Shiny boy!'**

'_ I can hear you Dark Shadow, calm down _.' He told the beast, opening one eye. And true to the news, the blonde classmate had nearly stumbled into the train as the crowd was moving into the compartment. Tokoyami felt a familiar tingling at the base of his spine, from where the beast manifested. He waved excitedly at their friend, gurgling a hello. Yuuga quickly noticed them, putting a hand over his mouth to stifle an adorable giggle—Wait, where did that come from?

Before Tokoyami could dwell further on it, he had to move his bag so that Aoyama could sit down. Dark Shadow engulfed him in a hug, Aoyama flinching visibly once again. Though he moved his arms to return the sign of affection, cooing at the little one. It was quite odd how he always reacted to sudden movements, especially when Mina or Dark Shadow tried to show their excitement. Was he afraid? Tokoyami shook his head, chalking it up to just him being surprised by them.

The supposed beast of the night, let out a happy chirp in the arms of the sparkly one. He had been worrying about him since he had abruptly left, filling Tokoyami's own chest with the worry.

'_ As you can see he is fine. Are you now going to stop worrying? _'

'**You have no heart Fumikage!'**

'_ That is the point of our aesthetic, yes. _'

'**Yours, maybe! Not mine! I want snuggles, you want edgy poetry.'** He slightly turned his head, sticking his tongue out to Fumikage.

"Oh, dear. I see that the small monsieur is quite full of energy even today." Yuuga forced on a smile, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Quite. He had let me rest once more in the night and both of us regained our energy as a consequence of it."

"Huh..." He didn't seem to know what else to add, before Mezo's stop came up and the multi-arm classmate joined them next.

Both greeted him, Dark Shadow hugging him as well. Tokoyami was trying not to blush, it was a tad embarrassing how he tended to act.

* * *

Fumikage had noticed something odd during lunch. Yuuga seemed to be wincing every time he used his hands. Mina had decided to eat with Hagakure and Jirou, and Mezo had gone to get his food; so they were alone on the roof.

'**Something is wrong with shiny boy'** Tokoyami could nearly feel Dark Shadow frowning.

'_ Well it is quite odd. _'

'**Imma ask what is wrong!'**

Before Fumikage could stop him, Dark Shadow appeared. He quickly moved towards Yuuga, giving Tokoyami no time to jump after him.

"Is shiny boy, okay? What hurt his hands?" He quickly asked, Tokoyami looking away as if not to blow up at Dark about how he was acting.

With that he missed Yuuga flinching and becoming quite pale. His purple eyes looked around in a panic, before he spoke with a high voice.

"O-Oh! I had just d-dropped a glass when c-cleaning yesterday! I am so clumsy." He said, quite surprised that anybody would ask.

Dark Shadow frowned, he didn't like hearing him be hurt.

"But you are graceful and elegant!" He huffed, the giant claws gently tapping at the cuff of the uniform jacket. He didn't want to cause him further pain.

"Yes, I am. But we are not all perfect, little monsieur." He spoke, with some kind of sadness in those big eyes.

"Can I try something?" He chirped, Aoyama caught a tad off guard. He hesitated before nodding, extending his arms for him. "Can you take them off, please?" He asked, tilting his head like a puppy.

Yuuga blinked, a sort of fear reflected in his eyes as he nearly pressed his hands against his chest.

"Please?"

Tokoyami saw Yuuga remove the gloves, his whole palm covered in bandages. There was some blood smudged on a few corners, the shaking seeming to have worsened. He looked away as he noticed Tokoyami's gaze. His cheeks became red as he closed his eyes. Dark Shadow just nodded, as if assessing a great treasure.

'_ What are you doing?' _

The beast did not answer, his long claw-like hands wrapping around the wrists. What surprised both of the students was that he just pulled them a bit closer, resting them on his forehead. Then he let out a...a _purr _?

He had leaned on the hands, barely touching them. Aoyama whipped his head back, Tokoyami feeling himself blush. He knew what the damned beast was doing, which made him feel embarrassed.

"M-Monsieur?" He asked in a soft voice, watching him in confusion.

"I wanna make shiny boy feel better! I used to do that for Mama when she was tired! And for Fumikage when he got hurt!" He explained, looking up with bright golden eyes. Tokoyami could still barely believe that this was the same quirk that gave him unimaginable nightmares and kept him awake fighting for power.

Yuuga blinked, looking over at Tokoyami. A small giggle left him, as the shadow continued to quietly purr against his hands.

"Mama used to say that I seep all the bad energy out until nighttime. I thought it would help you!"

"Well, I don't want Tokoyami suffering because of me." Yuuga's eyebrows knitted together.

"I'll be nice to him tonight!"

"You promise?"

"Just for you!" The small beast nodded, a big smile on his face. Yuuga's gaze softened, his cheeks becoming a rosie red. Fumikage felt a bit out of depth, he couldn't really add anything. At this point, Mezo returning would be a blessing. He then remembered something, having at least something to speak about.

"Your hands ache quite a bit, correct? Have you been able to take notes during class?"

"Non, sadly it hurts too much."

"Well, if you need it I can lend you some of my notes."

"O-Oh! T-There is no need! I won't u-understand them either way. I am quite los-lost." Yuuga lowered his gaze, as if expecting a lashing for admitting such a thing.

"Shoji has a good grasp on the topics we are doing, he has helped me a lot. I can also help during lunch if you have the need or after classes."

"T-That is very k-kind but I m-must go home after class." His voice was getting quieter, refusing to look up.

"Your station is near mine, I could go with you if your parents don't mind." Tokoyami suggested, he knew it was not pleasant to lag behind. Especially in such a hard course.

**'Since when does Fumikage tutor? Is he getting soft for sparkly boy?~**'

'_ I just wish to be a good friend and classmate.' _He retorted to the beast, sending a glare. It promptly ignored it, while Aoyama looked confused at the glare.

"D-Did I do something? I apolo-apologize for whatever I di-"

"No, no. Dark Shadow is just...being himself."

"Oh? Can you two-two t-talk telepathically?" That seemed to peak his interest, those purple eyes looking up again.

"We can share thoughts! And emotions!" Nodded Dark Shadow, who had still been leaning against the hands.

"It is nothing special." Tokoyami tried to wave it off, but Aoyama's cheeks puffed out.

"Nothing special? Nothing special? Why monsieur! It is something special, just like you are! You are an interesting person and I would gladly hear more about and your companion." He said firmly for once that day, leaning forward. "I wish to know more about my...friend. That is what is it usually done, correct?"

"You are not wrong. But why should I talk about myself? Or if I did, where to even start?" Tokoyami tried to fight back, crossing his arms.

"Your favourite movie, book, band or hero! A hobby or most hated chore. Anything from you is fascinating as you speak with such poeticness that anybody simply must listen!" He did really seem to want to know him. There was an odd spark in his eyes, looking at him as if he had forgotten all of his pain.

"I cannot really say for sure…" he had been thrown for a loop, trying to think of what to say to the classmate.

"Can shiny boy go first? Fumikage shy!" Dark Shadow chirped, Tokoyami wanting to strangle him right now. He was not shy!

"Oh? And what do you think, monsieur Tokoyami? "

"It would be...a better solution. We could compare." He quickly jumped at that, not knowing what to even say to his classmate.

"If you say so. It is quite the conundrum." He put his pointer finger and thumb near his mouth, as if mimicking his fake smile with them. "Oh! My favourite movies are comedies! Even better if they are musicals!" He put his hands together, lowering them into his lap.

"You will not be surprised, but I very much enjoy horror movies and fantasy movies, both are quite fascinating for me."

"Those both sound lovely. What kind of horror movies?" Yuuga tilted his head.

"The black and white ones can be comedic and nice to watch, especially when needing rest. If I wish for a fright, I do indule in some psychological horrors."

"Those are très interesting to watch, indeed. Which one is your favourite? I remember enjoying The Shining and Silence of the Lambs with Maman!" As he spoke, his glittering slowly starting to return as his mood was improving.

Tokoyami slowly blinked a few times, he really could not imagine this sparkly classmate sitting down and watching horror movies.

"You? Enjoy them?"

"Well...My Maman loves them. They can be a tad taxing for me in the night. But I must have to look outside my bubble, I have discovered a lot of lovely things like that. Such as the songs I showed you last time or good books! I had ended up buying the Shining for myself! I have the American and European version!"

"There is a difference?"

"Oui, oui! The American one is longer, I believe the director said that the american audiences had needed more exposition compared to the European ones. I prefer the European one quite honestly, the pacing is much better. I can lend you the movie if you wish." His purple eyes sparkled as he truly smiled, Tokoyami nodding at the suggestion.

"That would be very nice of you, please. I would love to see it so differently."

'**Why not invite him to watch it together?**'

'_ What is it with you today Dark Shadow? He would have suggested that I go over to his abode if he had wished to watch it together with me. _'

'**You are no fun.**'

Before they could continue Mezo came back and sat down with them. Yuuga went back to his sandwiches, though he didn't seem to enjoy them at all. He didn't join the conversation, as if isolating himself in fear of something.

* * *

Yuuga arrived back to the apartment, locking the door behind him. He took a deep breath, taking the gloves off. He looked down at his hands, remembering Dark Shadow's kindness. He had at least tried.

A sigh escaped his lips, he removed the uniform jacket and the already loose tie. He looked around, as if afraid of being caught making a small noise.

"Papa?"

No answer. Only silence, in the apartment. Two empty wine bottles were at the couch and a shirt had been thrown haphazardly on the floor, the only signs that anybody even lived there.

He quickly headed to one of the two locations that his Papa would never touch even in his drunken state. The cupboard with the cleaning supplies. It opened after a bit of a tug, shuffling the cleaning products out of the way. He smiled as he saw that it was all still there. Two jackets, a handful sweaters, T-shirts and a really old turtle plushie. All were in either pastel colours, had adorable patterns or were of his Maman's design. Clothes not appropriate for boys. He took out the T-shirt, wanting to change from the stiff uniform.

He hugged it for a moment, as if afraid to lose any of them by just taking them out of the hiding place.

He knew it shouldn't exist, that he should be disgusted by hiding or even liking such things. But he just couldn't help himself. He couldn't stop liking it.

Through some pain he unbuttoned the shirt, and pulled the T-shirt on. It hung on his frail frame, his stiff posture relaxing at the feeling of cotton against his skin. The T-shirt was rather simple with soft pink stripes and a pink heart sown on the top left corner of it. He got up, closing his eyes. He felt so exhausted. But he needed to get this done. The doctor was coming soon to help him get rid of the wounds, or the pain at the very least. The apartment needed to be spotless, he must do his homework and iron his Papa's shirts.

But first, maybe he could get some food. His lunch had been disgusting, he despised those sandwiches with all of his sparkly might.

And to his relief, the fridge and cupboard with the dry foods didn't have the padlock on them! He could make himself some food today!

As he took out the sushi box he had purchased a few days ago, he checked the sticky note near his chore list. His Papa had written in something new, he squinted to read it.

_'New Project, be gone 'till Sunday. Make me some food, money is under the coffee _.'

His Papa had gotten work at some new rich man, he was surprisingly quiet about it. He took all kinds of job and boasted about getting them himself. He was an engineer and bringing in new people to the company was always something to brag about. But he had been oddly tight-lipped about it. As long as it kept him busy for long days like this it almost made him leap for joy. He knew it shouldn't, what an ungrateful brat he must be for being happy about such a thing. He got food AND money to buy more. Without the insult of gaining weight! Maybe he had really lost that weight that his Papa had complained about.

He was startled out of his thoughts by a knock at the front door. He was here already?!

Yuuga threw the half-eaten box back into the refrigerator and scrambled to the living room. He grabbed the shirt and bottles, hiding them in the cabinet by the television.

"C-Coming!" He choked out, still chewing one of the rolls. He opened the door to an older looking doctor who greeted him politely. Yuuga bowed, letting him in.

"Ah, Aoyama's son. How have you been?"

They exchanged a few more pleasantries, before the man opened his bag. He had a job to do after all.

"So what was it this time young man?"

"I-I broke a gla-glass while doing the dishes." He explained, wincing as he removed the bandages. The doctor didn't ask more. He never did. Like how falling down a few stairs could cause a broken rib or making dinner could cause burns on his face and the back of his head.

"You really must be more careful." He shook his head, examining the wounds.

"Yes, sir. I-I will be." He looked down, at least the pain would be over soon.


	9. Studying and snacks

**AN: Heya everybody, it's been a while. For those still following, sorry this took so long. But this chapter turned into a behemoth accidently, like 5.6k words big which I am not used to writting and took a long while to finish. I had even deleted half of the chapter and started over again because it was bad. Hope you guys like it! One more chapter before USJ starts and things will pick up a bit from there (I think-)**  
**As always, thank you for reading and any comments are appreciated. Short or long ones, you guys and my lovely editor (Aiedail Liadeia, go give them some love on ! They are the reason we are still going!) help all of this exist. Other than that, on to the show!**

* * *

Tokoyami walked alongside his classmate towards his home, the blonde had ended up accepting his offer to help him study. A few exams were coming up and he seemed to be getting lost more and more in the maze of knowledge that was their schoolwork.

**'You think his room is full of glitter?'**

_'That's the first thing you think of? Could your mind be more one-note Dark Shadow?' _

**'You were thinking it too!'**

_'I was not.' _

**'Was too!'**

Before their bickering could continue they arrived at a modern and rather expensive looking apartment building. Once through the glass doors with golden handles, a man behind the desk greeted Yuuga, who waved with a strained smile.

Tokoyami looked around the place, the floors were laid with marble and a silver chandelier lit up the whole place. He craned his neck around, so many things sparkling from the light. The worker's buttons which seemed to be made of..._ rubies? _The golden frames of the abstract paintings and the ivory lined wall decorations, his were eyes nearly aching from it all. His hands itched to try and grab something for himself, though that was probably from the demon raging inside of him.

**'SPARKLE! SPARKLE! SPARKLE! LET ME HAVE IT!'**

Tokoyami had to stop, his head pounding from the invasive surrounding. Dark Shadow was only getting louder with each step into the lavish building.

Yuuga stopped before they reached a golden elevator as he noticed that he was no longer walking alongside him. Without hesitation he ran back and inspected him for any obvious injuries.

"Monsieur! What is wrong?"

"Do not worry, Aoyama. It is just Dark Shadow. The-ah." Tokoyami had to put a hand on to the wall to steady himself. "The shine is rather overwhelming, quite different from the darkness we are both used to."

"Oh sweet Maria! I am so, so, so sorry! I had no idea this would happen, is there anything I can do to make this easier?"

"I do not really think there is anything you can do."

A pained expression crossed his face, before the blonde put a rather thin arm around him.

"Lean on me, monsieur. I must apologize, if I had known I would have suggested we go to your home."

"You couldn't have known." Tokoyami shook his head, refusing the accept the apology.

They arrived on one of the higher floors, wide and tall windows lining the wall so you could watch the people beneath walking on the street. Yuuga was fidgeting with his keys, the door opening to an apartment which could be described with everything except lived-in. It looked as if taken from a furnishing magazine, the only hints that somebody might live here were a few picture frames and a dirty cup of coffee on the coffee table. A big majority of the frames seemed to be either flipped around or put face down. The few that were still up either contained only Aoyama or a rather tall and charming looking man. He could guess that the man was his classmate's father, they shared quite a few facial features and both seemed to _twinkle _in the photos. He had long black hair and green eyes that looked passed the camera and into the person looking at him. Very much the opposite of his son, he seemed quite better built and sported clothes in very dark colours. His main feature though, was his big wide smile. A smile that rarely reached the intelligent gaze.

Before he could pounder for too long, Yuuga moved them to the dining room in the kitchen past some gaudy white vases.

"How is the monsieur? Still bothering you?"

"He seemed to have calmed down. Do not worry."

"Are you sure?" Yuuga asked, not seeming to believe him.

Tokoyami waved it off.

* * *

After a few hours, the blonde was laying his head on the table.

"Flingue moi." He whined, barely lifting his head to get those words out.

"I do hope that means, teach me more." Tokoyami smiled, deciding both of them needed a break from the math.

"It means shoot me and I mean it. You can use Maman's gun if you wish." He mumbled, Tokoyami and Dark Shadow (who was napping on one of the chairs) freezed

"Your...Your Mother owns a gun?" It was incredibly hard to get even close to arms in Japan, like ridiculously hard. And a foreigner would probably have even more problems with it.

"Oui. Two in fact and to top if off, a taser, pepper spray and a fighting staff." Yuuga explained nonchalantly as if it is normal to have so many weapons.

"How come?" Piped up Dark Shadow, looking over the table like a small puppy of darkness.

"She is a woman in a very cut-throat industry. And she travels a lot too, not everywhere is quite safe, you know?" There seemed to be something more behind it, but Fumikage didn't press.

"Ah, well if you say so. How about we take a short break? Maybe get refreshments and-" Tokoyami got cut off by Yuuga's stomach growling, the blonde blushing and starting to apologize.

"Really, stop apologizing. We are both hungry." He shook his head, why was he so afraid of showing even just hunger?

"H-How about I make us some dinner? Just something quick!" Aoyama suggested, slowly lifting his gaze.

"I do like the sound of some food. Let me help you." He tried to get up, Yuuga stopping for a moment at the suggestion as if surprised, before quickly shaking his head.

"Non, non, non! You are a guest! Sit tight! I shall make something délicieux." His fake smile creeped back on to his face as he moved around the kitchen without any effort. Like a bird flowing through the air on a clear summer day, not a worry in the world.

"But would it not be much swift and trouble-free if I help?"

"Too many cooks spoil the broth you know!" Aoyama a tad stubbornly chirped back, putting the bowl down with more force than needed.

"Shiny boy?" Shadow spoke up with a gravelly voice, tilting his head with worry that oozed within Fumikage's chest as well.

Yuuga turned around, looking normal as ever.

"Silly me! Causing ruckus and trouble!" He giggled with an edge to his voice, his eyes darting around. The atmosphere had quickly become tense for some reason, Tokoyami's feathers wanting to stand up on their ends. Luckily somebody saved them from the awkward silence that would have surely ensued.

"What is shiny boy making?"

"Oh! Just some Chicken Fricassee, non-alcoholic of course! Quite easy and tasteful." Yuuga explained as he moved around the kitchen gathering what he needed.

"Can Fumikage help?"

"Monsieur, I already-"

"Teach him, please? He needs cooking lessons." Suddenly the shadow started begging, Tokoyami looked ready to strangle him for that.

"Excuse me, Dark Shadow?!" He got up, being on the same eye level with the creature.

"You heard me! You can't cook!"

"I can cook, thank you very much."

"Heating things up in the microwave does not count."

"Why, you insolent beast!"

Before their squabbling would certainly continue, something was thrown over their heads.

"Now, now! If you are so insistent, join me then! Better than bickering like two chickens."

"I'm not a chicken!-"

"Aoyama, why must you betray me?-" Both responded, looking horrified to be compared to that animal. Tokoyami finally pulled off the thing, seeing that it was actually an apron. The thing had a giant sunflower, that bloomed on the chest. Other than that it was surprisingly simple, it made Tokoyami look up at the blonde and back at the apron.

"What? Would you prefer mine?" He quirked a brow, a playful smile breaking the mask.

"...I am quite good thank you." Tokoyami said quickly, not wanting to imagine what would his classmate have. If his phone case was anything to go by, it was more of a disco ball than an apron.

Yuuga shooed him off to clean his hands in the sink, while grabbing the cutting board and the vegetables needed for their meal.

Each of them got to work chopping, with Yuuga being surprisingly skilled with a knife. His vegetables were chopped into fine bits and didn't even flinch at the onion, regularly putting his tool under running water. Huh, he had never thought that such a simple thing could work.

The difficult part was actually the meat, removing chicken thighs was much more onerous than one might expect. Aoyama had tasked him with removing and deboning them, both of them thinking that Fumikage could do it.

_Well both of them were horribly incorrect. _

After many a failed attempt, the knife actually slipped clattering loudly on to the kitchen floor. Aoyama, who had left to get the last of the ingredients, ran in with his arms full of oil and flour.

"What happened?" The piercing indigo eyes flickered to the floor, noticing the knife. He exhaled, shaking his head.

"I am guessing that it is not going as planned is it?"

"If I admit it, shall I recieve your help?"

"Depends. May I get a please?" He wiggled his eyebrows, his twinkling reminding Fumikage of a mischievous elf. Why not play along?

Tokoyami dramatically sagged his shoulders in defeat, speaking with an over the top voice of sadness.

"Oh, please! Dear classmate of the domain of light, help this lost hero and his shadow in the culinary world!" Even he couldn't keep up a straight face at what he was saying, Yuuga giggling at his dramatic speech.

"Why, it is no challenge for a talented fellow as me~" He winked, settling next to Tokoyami. "Would you be fine with just a quick showing? Or-"

"Fumikage is more of a hands on learner." Dark Shadow piped in without any warning, startling both of them.

"Oh, no no no-"

"Is this true?"

They had spoken in unison, Yuuga raising a blonde brow.

'_ WHAT WAS THAT FOR?' _

'**Why are you angry? It's true!**'

'_ It's embarrassing! Have you no sense of the situation?! We are already being humiliated enough by my lack of skill, we do not need to push it even more.' _

'**You'll thank me later.'**

'_ Why you-' _

"Monsieur? Is everything alright?"

"Yes." That came out harsher than expected, Yuuga frowning. "I had just been stuck in a conversation with Dark Shadow."

"Oh you two!" Aoyama nodded, seeming to relax since it was just their usual antics. "If you wish, I can do this on my own. I would not like to put my classmate in an uncomfortable position. It will be quick, I promise." He reached with his dainty and pale hands to switch their cutting boards.

Tokoyami would never admit he was stubborn, or prideful for that manner. But he couldn't help but feel useless for not being able to do such a simple thing. He grunted, before speaking the last second.

"Please show me."

"Huh?~"

"Would you please show me how to do this, Aoyama? I shall need to learn eventually."

"If you insist. Would you prefer if I stand next to you or I could possibly..erm…" His cheeks heated up, quickly shaking his head. That almost seemed like Dark Shadow's cue to stir more trouble.

"What's the other option shiny boy? And why are your cheeks so red?" His tone was teasing, his golden eyes holding his curiosity.

"D-Do not worry ab-about it! It was a st-stupid idea!"

"Come on shiny boy!" The beast pouted, putting his claws together in a gesture of begging. His eyes almost seemed to shift as well to make them look cuter. Yuuga simply gave in after that.

"Me and Tokoyami have a tad of a height difference, if he did not mind I could step behind him and lead his hands. The idea is stupide. It's best if we do it the other way, I know that others are not comfortable with such contact especially with somebody they know so little of."

Tokoyami had never taken that into account, there _was _a height difference. Maybe half a head? He despised his genetics sometimes, he was surely the shortest of the boys next to Mineta.

"Aren't shiny boy and Fumikage friends?" He tilted his head, his voice suspiciously innocent. Aoyama shrugged, suddenly seeming interested more into the meat than to meet either of their gazes.

"I would think so. I am fine with it Aoyama. Unless this has been the biggest set up to kill me from behind with your quirk. It would be quite an embarrassing death if I do end up accepting." While Tokoyami enjoyed all the gloom and doom, he did not like making others feel ill at ease.

Aoyama cracked a smile at that, rolling his eyes.

"As if I couldn't have stabbed you if I had wanted while we were working on the vegetables~ Would have been much less trouble, too! Blood is easier to remove than scorch marks from my experience."

"You are implying Dark Shadow wouldn't defend me if he had noticed you trying to attack me while we were working?"

"I do not know. Would you Dark Shadow?" Aoyama lazily turned his head toward the fiend.

"If Fumikage goes bye bye, so do I...So yes."

"Oh, what a traitor you are! You shall not be getting any more of my sparkly affection then."

"Nooooo!" He whined loudly, throwing himself around the blonde.

"Dark Shadow! Behave!"

"Never in a million years." He chirped behind Yuuga's back, the classmate reaching behind himself to give him a pat.

"I was just joking, my dear petit monsieur. Now, may I help Tokoyami or would you prefer to go back hungry?"

Dark Shadow finally let go, with Aoyama moving behind Tokoyami.

"First off we must..." Aoyama's voice was drowned out by all the sensations that trespassed him. The scent of a rose perfume and the odd powder returned once again, and the warmth was rather pleasant as well.

Yuuga's movements were slow and precise to show him what to do, though he could barely keep up. His hands were warm and soft, it was like being surrounded with a rather thin but nevertheless comfortable blanket.

Soon enough the meal was on the table and they had both taken a seat.

"Looks scrumptious, no?" He puffed out his chest, looking very proud at their joint effort.

"We shall see-" Tokoyami muttered as he brought the meat up to his beak. His eyes went wide with surprised, as Yuuga had been correct. It was delicious! The sauce was creamy and flavourful, the chicken cooked well and the vegetables were just as good.

"Well? " Sparkles fell off him as he anxiously waited for his review of the food. He had leaned on to the heels of his hands, looking at him expectantly.

"It is, as you described 'scrumptious'." Tokoyami had to admit, his own cooking attempts never went this well.

Dark Shadow looked over the edge of the table like a giant pup, before stealing some of his meal.

"Where did shiny boy learn how to cook so good?"

"Oh, lots and lots of practice little one. Maman taught me the basics when she still was at home and we always made at least one meal together. If you like this, you shall adore my crepes or perhaps baking!" He seemed so excited to talk about cooking, it was obvious how passionate he was about it. "Cheese souffles, cakes of all shapes and sizes, soups of every little thing imaginable, and don't get me started on sauces made from cheese or vegetables!" His sparkling got somehow even brighter as he spoke, his eyes shining with his excitement. He quickly caught how much he was speaking, his cheeks becoming red. "I am so sorry for my rambling, you must have been bored out of your mind." His hand rubbed the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

"Quite the opposite, Aoyama. It is interesting to listen to you, especially when you talk so passionately about something you obviously adore."

Yuuga shrugged, shrinking a tad into himself as his face just became redder.

"Thank you for that, I suppose monsieur. What about you? Dark Shadow mentioned you do not cook much?"

Now it was Tokoyami's turn to blush and look embarrassed.

"Not that I do not really 'cook much', I just-"  
"He sucks at it. Big time."

"Dark Shadow!"

"What? It's true." The beast shrugged as Fumikage squawked indignantly.

"Have you not had time to learn? Or the interest?" He seemed curious, leaning in a tad closer after taking another bite of his own meal.

"I would think it is a mix of both. Neither of my parents are passionate cooks and cooking just does not fall in with darkness and its domain."

"Hmmm...If you ever _do _wish to learn, I could teach you! I still have to repay you for tutoring me in mathematics."

"There is no need."

"Oh, but I insist! I do not wish to just use you, you know?"

"And I say you don't need to."

Before the back and forth could properly start, the dark beast spoke.

"Now look who is bickering like two chickens!"

Both closed their mouths, their heads turning to him.

"I'm right and you know it!"

"I really do despise that he is correct." Both smiled at the last comment, a comfortable silence falling over them as they were coming to the end of the meal.

Yuuga got up, starting to gather the plates as Tokoyami joined in to help.

"Huh?"

"Do you really think, I shall let you do everything?"

"You are a gu-" Yuuga got cut off by Tokoyami, with him smoothly stealing the plates from his hands. "Hey!"

"I am going to help." There was a finality to his own voice, that Yuuga didn't decide to challenge.

"Oh, fine fine!" He soon joined him with the pan and what else had been left on the table. "Shall I clean and you dry?"

They had surprisingly quickly gotten into a sort of rhythm, with Aoyama handing Tokoyami the clean dish while he and Dark Shadow dried it without much effort. The silence was only broken with dishes being stacked and Yuuga's chuckles whenever Dark Shadow tried to play with the bubbles.

Once they were done, everything was quickly put away and the two of them headed back to the table...well they were supposed to but the sparkly one had turned to the fridge.

"Chocolate or vanilla?"

"Hmm?"

"We like chocolate!" Dark Shadow answered for him, which earned him a glare that he simply ignored as always.

"Oh, I knew you had good tastes!" Yuuga turned around with two packets of pudding, winking at Dark Shadow. The one in his right hand was vanila and the other was well, obviously chocolate.

"Sparkly does not like chocolate?"

"I do! But there is only one left, I will be just fine with the simpler one. Do not fret over it." He grabbed two spoons, offering one of them to Tokoyami.

He hesitated, before taking it and the sweet treat.

"You don't need to do-"

"Now who is the one making a fuss, hmmm?" He quirked a brow, Aoyama's tone teasing.

"That is just unfair."

"Since when do I fight fair? Now, to move on to something much more fun! I have been wondering, is it okay if I ask about your fashionable choker monsieur?"

Almost subconsciously as he mentioned it, Tokoyami's hand rose to it.

"What about it?"

"It looks rather familiar, is it not like the one Dark Crystal wears?" Yuuga questioned, waving the spoon through the air absentmindedly.

Tokoyami's eyes widened in surprise, not many picked up on such a thing.

"Yes, that is...correct. If I may be honest, I am baffled you know of him. He is not as mainstream as many heroes."

"Oh, I only know him through Maman. She introduced me to him when she had business with the agency he worked at. Very polite man, fashionable like you too." He scooped up some of the dessert, winking cheekily at Fumikage who was trying not to blush at being called out like that. "If I may take a guess, you like him, no?"

Once the shock of Yuuga actually _meeting _one of his favourite heroes wore off, he had once again found his voice.

"I do idealize him, yes. He is interesting and a really good hero, even if many don't notice him." Tokoyami nodded, glancing down at the table.

"What about shiny boy? Who does he like?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you!"

"Oh, I don't have anybody half as interesting. Tokoyami, why not tell me more about him? I did not have a chance to speak much to the man, maybe I could be better prepared next time!"

"What do you know about him?" That slightly piqued his interest, his red eyes looking back up.

"That he is a tad brooding, kind and mysterious! He works in the night, stopping villains seemingly coming from the shadows. I believe he often teams up with others too?" His indigo eyes watched Tokoyami, the sparkles rolling off him as always.

"That is all correct. He also started his career in Kyoto, which many don't know! Supposedly he had trained his quirk for years with some old master, nobody has figured out who though. And I had found one evening, that he adores jewelry that is quite jarring compared to his usual aesthetic."

"Oh? Like bright neon coloured gemstones?"

"Yes, yes! Something like that, odd in my opinion but we all have interests that do not seem logical to anybody, even us."

"And does our gothic classmate have such a thing?" Yuuga asked, joshing around with him.

"Perhaps, perhaps. But why should I be the only one to spill my secrets tonight? How about you go first?"

"Oh you audacious bird!" The blonde grinned, starting to twirl the spoon between his slim fingers. "If we are trading secrets, you already know my love of metal and horror. There is not much else I could tell you that would be surprising."

"Try me, Aoyama."

"Hmmm...Other than me recently listening to some old punk or that my favourite hero isn't Best Jeanist."

"Wait, he isn't?" Both Dark Shadow and Tokoyami tried not to gawk at him at that fact.

"Monsieur, I am not as stereotypical as you may think!" He playfully scolded him, gently wagging the spoon at him like a finger.

"Then who is it?" Dark Shadow voiced both of their thoughts.

"Now, now. Don't you owe me something as well first though?"

"You are mean!" Whined the beast, Tokoyami rolling his eyes at how he acted.

"I will take a gander, that me and Dark Shadow liking shining things would not be surprising."

"Of course not, why else would you hang around my sparkling self?"

"Why that is incorrect! It is only half the reason. The other reason is that you give us apples."

"I knew it! I am nothing but somebody you wish to use!" He put his hand dramatically to his forehead, pretending to swoon. "Now, back to the topic! You aren't going to avoid me."

'**Damnit!**'

_'Damnit!' _

"Now, now. We don't have all day."

"I...Uh…" His mind was coming up empty, luckily Dark Shadow was much more creative than him.

"Our favourite colour is not black!"

"Excuse moi!?"

"Look who is thinking we are stereotypical now!" Him and Dark Shadow grinned at Aoyama, who smiled sheepishly at them.

"Oh, shush! You two aren't any better!"

"We are all horrible human beings and horrible shadow, who do not think outside our bubbles." Tokoyami thought out loud, Dark Shadow rolling his golden eyes but Yuuga didn't seem to mind his odd thoughts. "Though I think the time is nigh that we continue our math work."

"Oh, merde." Aoyama scrunched up his small nose, not looking one bit happy.

"You are not escaping me and our quest to set you on the path to pass this class."

Aoyama groaned, faceplanting on to the table to further prove his opinion that he was not excited. "Nooooooon. You are horrible monsieur!"

"You can lock us up and throw away the key once we are done."

* * *

Aoyama waved Tokoyami goodbye through the window at front of the front door, before heading back in. Once safe from prying eyes, he grabbed the closest throw pillow and made a most undignified sound into it.

His whole face became as red as the roses he smelled off. His mind was a mess, how had he kept his cool for so long around Tokoyami?! He had blown it! He should have confessed like he and Ashido had planned! Why couldn't had he done it?

Well he knew why...

His swore his heart had nearly leapt out of his chest while they had been cooking.

Tokoyami had talked and _smiled _at him so much! But...was it..genuine? Had he only been polite?

Of course he had been only polite why e-

Aoyama quickly shook his head, ridding himself of those thoughts. He needed to get a second opinion before jumping to conclusions. Somebody with much fresher eyes and who would tell it to him straight, somebody who already knew how deep this ran.

He sat down on the pristine white couch, scrolling through his modest contact list.

_Mina Ashido. _

She was as good as a bet as anybody else. The phone rang a few times, before a peppy and energetic voice answered.

"_ Hiya Frenchie! How was your _**_date_**_today?" _

"It was not a date!" His voice nearly cracked at the exclamation, which wouldn't even convince even the most oblivious person in the world, much less Mina.

"_ Oddly defensive are we? Did ya finally confess?" _

Aoyama was quiet for a moment, burying his head in the pillow. "Non."

_"You told me you would ask him on a date! Like it was a perfect opportunity! You two were alone, probably rather close too, around a book and talking. Like what else do you need?! _"

"I chickened out okay?! It was just too much! He was just so..ARGH! He was so handsome and smiling, I just couldn't! I lost what little intelligence I still have!"

"_ If I could, I would have passed you a brain cell. Not sure if mine would help though. Mine would have made you dumber too!" _

"It doesn't even matter anymore. As they say I 'completely blew it'. I think, I don't knooooow!"

"_ Wow, wow. Slow down your horses Aoyama. Why would you blow it? Did he look like he hated you when he left or something?" _

"Non, non! Well, I hope not. It was just so..._ amazing _! We studied, then made a meal together, had dessert and talked so much. Apparently his favourite colour is not actually black!"

"_ You've got to be shitting me. Are you sure?!" _

"Yes I am sure! He told me himself. Honestly, it had been such a lovely time." A wistful sigh escaped his lips, wishing he was back there again. He knew he shouldn't, he needed to continue the family line. But, he couldn't help it. He really couldn't.

"_ It sounds like you two are already basically married! Why would he hate you? Are you getting your pantalones in a twist? _"

"Non! And I do not wear pantalones! I just..I.." His voice died in his throat as he was afraid to voice his concerns. What if they were true?

"_ Frenchie?" _

"I'm still here...I'm still here. What...What if he just smiled and went along with it to be polite? What if he thinks I am just some crazy foreigner?!"

"_ ...Yuuga?" _

"Oui?"

"_I am going to slap_ _you if you say something stupid like that again. First of you aren't crazy, you are _**_fabulous_**_. And second of all, Tokoyami would not pretend to be polite just for shits and giggles. I would think he would have told you or left if he didn't like it! Did he ever back away from you?_"

"Non?"

"_ Did he ever tell you to stop talking? Or try to get you to finish as soon as possible? _"

"No-Non?"

"_Then get your locks out of a twist, use your brain and relax!_ _Did you do something risky or somethin' that has got you acting like an extra big idiot?_"

"Erm...Du-During cooking we had...erm..I had needed to teach him something and.." He quietly explained what had happend, before Mina squealed.

"_ How fucking big is your crush?! How is it still supported in your brain? But legit, if he didn't obviously mind you _**_hugging him from behind _**_I doubt he would get fussy over something else, stupid. If you aren't going to ask him out, I am going to lock you two into a room until you do!" _

Aoyama smiled into the pillow, a chortled laughter filling the living room.

"You wouldn't! That is too clichè even for you Mina Ashido.~"

"_ Oh, I would and you damn know me well enough that, you know I will go through with this threat!" _

"Shut up!" He laughed, a sort of glee filling him as Ashido messed around with him.

"_ Never in a million years fucker! You grab that chance, got it?! You have a better one than me!" _She whined at the end, sighing in a way that he was more than familiar with.

"...Has Mina also 'gotten them feelings' for somebody?"

"_ First, it's catch these feelings. Never try slang around me ever again. And...m-maybe. _."

"And who is the lucky victim? Who shall I help get into the arms of my friend?"

Mina cleared her throat, Yuuga could vividly imagine her blushing and fiddling with her clothes.

"_ J-Jirou. I-I..just..Fuck why are feelings hard! I had been just fine around her. One moment me, Haga and Jirou are sharing a lunch. Next moment, Jirou smiles at me and BAM! I need to run for the hills! What is wrong with me?" _She complained to the blonde, who was intimately familiar with what she was going through.

"At least you got to know her a bit. I had the dumbest luck of getting a crush the moment I saw my monsieur. So, how shall we solve this?"

"_ Huh? Nonono! We ain't solving shit smartass! Not until you and Tokoyami get together!" _

"Let me help you Ashido."

"_ Uh-uh! No way _!"

"Fine! If the mademoiselle chooses to be so stubborn, tell me about your day? We can bicker over stupid crushes later." Aoyama moved on to lay on his stomach, which was still filled with anxiety and fear. Slowly but surely, he was forgetting about it. Even if just for a short while.

"_ I am not letting you get away with this! But whatever! My day was pretty good, all things considered. Came home, took a giant nap and right now I was playing the newest Queen Buster game! It came out like last week, me and Denki had to wait _**_ages_**_to get it." _

"Hmmm...Sounds familiar. Tell me more about it!" His indigo eyes fluttered closed as he put all his attention into listening to his...his _friend. _It was odd, having friends that is. It was really nice actually.

"_ Aight, but it isn't anything cool or some indie stuff. It's like any first person shooter, except there is nothing but boss fights _**_and _**_if you somehow beat the game without using the shield, you unlock a super secret dating sim! This release has some really good looking gals, so me and Denki are both trying to beat it together. Do you ever play video games, Frenchie?" _

"Pretty rarely. Apologies, I can't help in beating those queens."

"_ Eh, it's whatever! Oh, oh, oh! Did you see the season finale yesterday?" _

"Season finale?" His eyes instantly opened.

"_ Yes you numbnuts! Season 5 of Crystal Secrets ended yesterday! Where Cassandra-" _

"Lalalal! Not listening! Not listening! I am going to hang up!" He sat up, hurriedly trying to remember where he had left off in the current season.

"_ You are no fun! Catch up already! Hagakure is waiting for the weekend to binge all of season 4 and 5, Sero and Denki don't watch it, Kirishima is too busy with his sci-fi show and Jirou is still catching up! You are the only one anywhere close to finishing it! You better watch it so we can talk about it at lunch or something. _"

"I don't know if I will have the time, mademoiselle. I am three episodes behind."

"_ Well you better! Or else I am going to tell you who figures out their dastardly scheme. _"

"Don't you dare!"

"_ You have until next week Frenchie!" _

Yuuga grumbled in his own defense, getting up off the couch and slowly heading to his own bedroom to continue the talk with her there.

"You drive a hard bargain. But...if I must. I do not wish to be spoiled!"

"_ Hehehe, I'm evil like that I know. Speaking of next week, have you finished that homework given by Miss Midnight? I can't seem to-" _

Their conversation continued for a while into the evening, with Aoyama feeling as if he was on cloud nine.

Outside the stars were shining in a clear night as they finally said their goodbyes for that night. Aoyama barely made it to bed, falling into a sweet dreamless slumber. Tomorrow was a new, exciting day that he couldn't wait to experience. Maybe it would be _almost _as good as today. He clutched the throw pillow to his chest in his sleep, feeling happy and relaxed.


	10. Pink Cupid

**AN: **

**Hello everybody, those who still follow this at least! June has been hectic for me and my editor, so I must apologize how long this took to come out.**  
**Again, go give all the love to my beta Aiedail Liadeia. They write on , so pop on there and give them a hug!**

**Quick lil note!**  
**So those not familiar, each laungage has its own set of idioms as you will see Mina and Yuuga arguing later on in this chapter.**  
**The idiom that most are familiar with in English 'nothing ventured, nothing gained' in French (apperently from google. If any french speakers read this (like the one who corrected me, thank you again for that google is not kind to french) please correct me if I am wrong) is 'he who does not attempt has nothing'. And the version in Japan is apperently 'If you don't enter the tiger's cave, you can't catch its cub'. **  
**My beta commented that may confuse some peeps so wanted to give a heads up! Laungages are fun! :D**  
**And than you for each and every comment, even if I don't reply I see them. Thank you! Every small thing helps me write and do better!**  
**Until next time~**

* * *

Mina watched as Yuuga turned around in his seat to face her. The bell had rung to announce lunch, so most of the classmates had already disappeared through the door.

"Yes, Frenchie?" She quirked a thin brow, tilting her brightly coloured head.

"Have you considered, where you shall have lunch today?"

"Hmm? Prolly with Jirou in the cafeteria or something like that. Why?"

"Why not join us on the roof today? I have not interacted much with her and I want to get along with the friend of my friend."

Mina instantly narrowed her eyes at that. "Didn't you say last time, that she was too unlady like and that you two probably wouldn't get along?"

"Why! I-uh-I never!" He scoffed, putting a hand to his forehead. But what betrayed him was a rather noticeable blush spilling on to his cheeks.

"He said _what_ about me?"

As Kyoka spoke, Aoyama jumped and turned to face her. The boy instantly crumpled up into himself, trying to make himself seem as small as possible. Which looked rather odd as he was half a head taller than Kyoka.

"Oh, nothing nothing Jirou!"

"I heard you two, you know?" She raised a brow, not seeming too happy or convinced for that part.

Yuuga relented, getting up and stretching himself stiffly. What was that drama queen doing now? _Oh._

He bowed and apologized, saying that he should have not have talked behind her back. Kyoka seemed surprised by the reaction, looking at Mina who just shrugged. Mina's heart instantly accelerated from the look, she hated this crush. A lot.

"It's okay! Just don't do it again, okay? Or else I am gonna stab you." She motioned with her earjacks, neither of them sure if she was joking. "So you asked if we want to join your gang?"

"Gang?"

"Yeah, you, Tokoyami and Shouji. You guys always go who knows where and reappear back for classes."

"We are not a group of ruffians! We just have our lunch on the roof, you see it is much calmer up there!"

"On the roof?" She looked at Ashido, as if to make sure and she nodded to confirm it. "Well that sounds cool! You can count me in, plus I don't mind talking to the others. Mina seems happy to be with you guys, so I wanna see what's the fuss. But are you sure the other two are fine with us joining?"

"Oh! I bet they won't mind at all." A mischievous grin appeared on Yuuga's face that slightly unnerved the two of them. What was he up to?

"Then, cool...I'll go get my lunch, so the door leading up to it is unlocked and all? No keys or passwords?"

"None! Just a set of unlocked doors."

"I am surprised nobody has thrown themselves off it yet."

"Well, there is a rather tall fence. So without a special quirk it would be hard to do so. Unless you have a quirk like mademoiselle Ashido, me, monsieur Bakugo, mademoiselle Asui or...There are a lot of classmates who could get over that fence." Aoyama ended up realizing, Jirou and Mino having to agree. "Though as if Bakugo would throw himself off a roof, he will probably die kicking ass or something like that!"

"Him? Oh yeah, definitely." Jirou nodded, with Mina starting to wonder something.

"How would each of us probably go out?"

"Huh?"

"Like, I bet I would accidentally melt my face off or somethin'! And Denki will use his quirk at the wrong time...maybe even taking Sero in the process if they are working together."

"As if you would go out like that! You would die in a bar fight mademoiselle!"  
"What makes you think that?"

"Well, for one your quirk does not really leak out by accident and two, how else would you wish to go? Of old age?" He smirked.

"Of course not! I'm going out in a bar fight! But not until you get married, I need that pay off man."

"Pay off?"

"Yeah! Sparkles here has a big ass crush on somebody in this class." As Mina spoke, Yuuga started frantically waving for her to stop. "Can't tell you though, or else he will kill both of us."

"Aoyama? Kill? The only thing he would kill is disco again." Jirou snickered, Aoyama almost looking offended.

"Hey!"

"Is she wrong though?"

He sighed, rubbing at his face. "Shouldn't we be heading to lunch, mademoiselles?"

Only the three of them had been left in the classroom, it was quite odd with how empty it was.

"Alright! I'll go get my food and see you two up there." Jirou waved goodbye with her jack, before disappearing through the sliding door. As she left, Mina got a punch in the arm.

"OW!" It wasn't painful at all, but _still._

"That was for nearly telling her!"

"You know I would never tell! Especially since you can't seem to get over that you _do_ have it!"

"It's just...It's stupide! It's a crush that will pass." His gaze and shoulders fell, his arms crossed.

"What about mine, huh? Why encourage me confessing?" She flicked his forehead, narrowing her black sclera eyes.

"It's different." Was all he told her, getting up to probably escape the situation. That did not sit well with Mina, not at all! Not on her watch! Her pink arm reached out, grabbing him by the wrist. He froze like a deer in the headlights, his posture stiffening.

"Don't bullshit me Frenchie. What's up?"

"Ashido! Won't we be keeping the rest of them waiting?" His voice was quiet, as if forcing it to stay steady. He looked oddly pale, more than usual.

"I think they will be fine." She dragged him back down, her eyes meeting his indigo ones. "Now, spill! What is the difference between me and you? Is it because I have tits?" She teased, Aoyama blushing furiously.

"N-Non!"

"Then what is it?" She tilted her head, her grip as strong as before. He wasn't going anywhere until she got this out of him.

"It's nothing. Ashido, please let this go." He looked away once again, looking uncomfortable. His other hand had taken hold of his school jacket, crumpling it in his grasp. The longer she held him, a sort of...she could almost call it panic was visible on his face.

She let go of his hand, she wanted to help him, not scare the living bejesus out of him.

"Please, Yuuga? How can I help you if you don't wanna give me anything?"

A silence settled between them, Aoyama's gaze slowly lifting back up to meet hers.

"Oh, it's silly. It's just moi being dramatic, as always." He put on a forced smile, probably thinking it would throw her off. She may not be the most corrosive acid in the lab, but she wasn't _that_ dense.

"Yuuga." Her voice held defeat, looking at him to just tell her. That is when he relented.

"Fine! How do I know that it will be fine for you? You told me you _know_ she is into ladies! You are a bouncy, charismatic and wonderful person. You can get anybody to adore you! How can I be sure that he would even give me a second glance, if by some miracle he was into boys? I mean, Ashido, look at me." His voice cracked at the end, Yuuga covering his mouth and blushing madly.

She had not expected that, it took her off-guard as she simply stared at him. His words slowly sunk in, before her face warped into an annoyed expression.

"Yuuga Aoyama! Exactly, look at yourself! You look cute as a button! Once you let somebody talk to you, you are a real sweetie. You always listen, try to cheer us up and know such odd shit. Like who else knows how to tell me by text how to make a skirt from crep paper and then how to make a simply 'sublime eclair'? Plus, I am betting my ass you are planning something for me and Jirou, I am not gonna let you off that hook so easily. You do so much Yuuga, you fabulous french fry. Please, let me do something for _you_." Her voice was determined, very close to grabbing the boy and shaking this into him. "And if you don't know what to say, write it down if you have to. Send him a letter, bake it into a cake, write it into the sky with your quirk! Just let it out someh-" A brilliant idea hit her, opening her notebook and tearing out one of the pages. She pushed it towards him and giving him one of her favourite pens, the bright blue and pink one that she actually sometimes used to make notes.

"Do it now."

"Huh?" Confusion obvious on his face, as if reeling from everything going on around him.

"Write down your feelings, what you would want to tell him. What if he likes you-" The expression of pure disbelief on his face, made her give him a soft glare. "Use your imagination, Frenchie. Imagine he was interested in you and just waiting for you to make the first move? Maybe like, he is shy or isn't sure if _you_ are interested. Now go write! I am not letting you out before that."

"But-"

"No buts!" She shook her head fiercely, before he finally conceded to his faith. Took him long enough, there is no going against the Alien Queen!

Once he was done, she got up and peaked over his shoulder.

"...This is not in japanese."

"What do you expect? Would you write your notes in English, mademoiselle?"

"Well you have a point." She sighed, watching him fiddle with it. "What does it say though."

"Promise me you won't laugh."

"Huh?"

"Mina, please. Promise." He blushed, looking so scared. It couldn't be that bad, could it?

"I promise Aoyama." She even extended her hand with her pink pinky finger, Yuuga's pale one wrapping around it. He cleared his throat after that.

"The basic premise of it is: 'Dear, Tokoyami I love you a lot and I'm praying to whatever god exists that you don't know French.'."

"You had to be snarky didn't you." She rolled her eyes, but smiling at her friend. "It's cute. Now translate it into japanese and sl-"

"NON! NON! NON! None of that!" He got up, crumpling up the paper throwing it in the bin. "It was fun, but let's go."

Mina narrowed her eyes, nodding but deciding to help him in her own way. Just as they were leaving, she reached into the trash, snatching the paper with the confession on it. If he was going to play cupid for her, she might as well return the favour.

As Mina climbed the stairs, she and Yuuga were greeted with an empty roof.

"Huh? Shouldn't the other two already be here?" She blinked in confusion, Aoyama seeming to agree with a nod. "Here, mademoiselle. Can you hold my lunch? I'll go check on them." He handed her a rather small paper bag. Since when did he bring his lunch in one of these?

A bit after Aoyama left, Kyoka joined her on the roof. Her usual neutral cold expression melted as she watched the view, you could see most of the town almost up to the beach.

"Wow." She exhaled, blinking at what they had been missing out.

"I know right?! But the dudes don't seem to care about it." Mina shrugged, feeling butterflies form in her stomach. Where were they?! Okay, Shoji got his lunch downstairs which could take a while with a line but so does Jirou and she came quickly. And Tokoyami al-

Kyoka had cleared her throat, making Mina look up.

"This had been taped to the door before I arrived." She held up a note written on a sheet of blue...sparkling paper.

'_Mina has something she wishes to share with you and a gift as well! She dearly hopes you like it_'

Ashido was going to kill Yuuga, she didn't know _how_ yet. But she would kill him once given the chance.

"Huh?" Suspicion rose in her mind, opening the paper bag. A loud curse left her, the only thing sitting in it were some popular sweets, but it was a different than the plain ones. Ones were strawberry mochi flavoured (Mina's favourite, how had he remembered that?) and the others were chocolate orange. As she was dumbstruck staring into the bag, Kyoka had been patiently waiting.

"You okay, Ashido?" She finally asked after what felt like an eternity. Mina felt her face flush, looking up at Jirou who seemed genuinely worried.

"Oh, fuck it all to hell." She exhaled, vowing to get back at Yuuga for this.

After another beat of silence, she spoke again. "Jirou...you can say no or anything. We can pretend this never happened, since Frenchie smoked me out for this. But...I kinda like you. Like, really like you. God that sounds so childish." She had reached into the bag, taking out the sweets and offering them to her. Her heart was beating in her throat, her stomach filled with lead. "I kinda got this stupid fat crush on you a short while ago and-" Mina took a deep breath, afraid to look up. She stared at the ground, the tips of her pointer fingers touching, barely keeping the bag in her left hand.

"-I...I-I don't know what to do with it! It will pro-probably pass, but I still want to ask you out. You know? Like maybe go to a cafe after school or to the arcade! Get to kn-know you better and all that stuff. If you would like that." Finally she worked up the courage to look up, Jirou looking at her with a mix of surprise and confusion.

Then she answered, Mina's heart nearly giving out.

* * *

Mezo was sitting in the loud cafeteria with Tokoyami after Aoyama had politely requested if they could not go to the roof today, Dark Shadow was with them napping by resting his head on the bench. Their table seemed the most avoided, as many turned away to go sit at much more crowded ones.

Though both of them were used to it at this point, Tokoyami had even commented on how calm their table was with a sardonic tone.

"So, no more wonderful homemade meals?" Mezo asked as Tokoyami had for once actually gotten food from the cafeteria.

"The leftovers had not looked appetizing. Our father had been experimenting with his cooking." Tokoyami rolled his eyes and Dark Shadow piped in.

"You are angry, because no curry." He spoke in his broken vocabulary, Fumikage ignoring him but also probably confirming what he had said with the silence.

"May I ask something about your quirk, Tokoyami? I am sorry if I come off as rude."

"I do not see why not."

"What is it like sharing a consciousness with Dark Shadow? I would think his limited vocabulary and constant butting in would get exhausting."

Tokoyami was quiet for a moment as he took a bite of the food. "It is not really like that, he can speak as eloquently as me if he had wished. Just not in this form."

"This form?" Shoji raised a brow, curious at what he meant.

"He speaks fine in our conversations within my or would be considered our psyche, from what I understand it is hard for him to keep a form such as this in daylight without sacrificing a few things. One of those is his speech."

"Huh, but does he ever get annoying?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Fumikage snickered, Dark Shadow voicing his protest against that. "He is an absolute menace! He is so lucky he ended up with me and my long patience."

"Long patience? Lies! Lies!" Dark Shadow shoved at Mezo's gothic classmate.

"You see? He is just proving my argument, so childish." He mused, tapping Dark Shadow's forehead with the chopsticks.

"Oh, shut up!" The small thing gurgled, Shoji chuckling at their exchange.

"You two are like a pair of bickering brothers."

"A brother would be easier to deal with."

"I would be the cool one!" Dark stated proudly, smiling up at the two of them.

"Whatever makes you happy Dark Shadow." Sighed Tokoyami, seemingly used to these kind of comments. "Do you have to deal with any siblings?"

"No, a single child. Though not sure if I should say that I am grateful for that or not."

"Be very grateful. Nobody to annoy you constantly."

"I don't think you two are a good example of siblings." Shoji couldn't stop himself from letting out a hearty laugh. "You seem more like conjoined twins."

"As if he's anything like me!" Both of them spoke in unison, seemingly offended by that mere thought.

"Your point?" Shoji tilted his head, both of them grumbling in response. The two of them were such interesting characters and they didn't seem to mind his horrifying outward appearance which still puzzled Mezo. He hadn't expected to find friends so soon into high school, especially not ones he could talk to so easily. He checked the clock on his phone, Tokoyami looking over as well. "Lunch is gonna be over soon. We should head back to the classroom."

"That is a good idea. You can go ahead, I shall not be far behind you." Tokoyami bid him goodbye, even after Shoji insisted on waiting.

Once he arrived back at the classroom, he was greeted with Aoyama eating a meager meal with misery evident his face. He had looked up as Shoji had opened the sliding door, the usual smile appearing on his face. He raised a hand in greeting, chewing on some celery sticks with very little enthusiasm. His meal seemed to consist of celery sticks with a yoghurt dip, and a fruit salad of just pineapples and bananas.

"Hello, there monsieur. I had thought that you and Tokoyami were going to share lunch together?" He tilted his head, resting it on his hands.

"We did, but I had finished and Tokoyami had told me to go ahead. Better to be early in the classroom than late, you know?"

"Ah, yes I see." He nodded, not seeming to be really there with him. There was an awkward atmosphere in the room, neither of them seeming to want to adress or get rid of it.

Mezo never really spoke to Aoyama outside of groups, like when he is with Tokoyami or on their outing to get ice cream. For somebody who loves getting all the attention in training, he seemed very reserved once put to a more personal level with somebody. Shoji still wanted to be nice to him, especially since he was such good friends with Fumikage.

"How come you hadn't joined us as usual? Not feeling the best?"

"Oh, non non. Just the food in the cafeteria does not suit my tastes! And I need light meals, especially considering we still have some training left." Yuuga took another bite of the celery stick, not seeming impressed with it.

"Huh? But wouldn't you need energy for training?"

"Either I have a lot of energy, or I do not lose my lunch. My quirk makes me feel unwell, such as Uraraka." He explained, twirling the stalk between his slim fingers. "Sometimes I question if it's worth the hassle. The taste leaves much to be desired." He put the food down, seeming to want to lighten the atmosphere. "Did you have anything good? Anything is probably better than my lunches." He reached for the fruit salad, watching Mezo with that unblinking indigo stare. Though that still hadn't answered the question, he could have eaten his lunch with them. But nevertheless, he decided not to press.

"Just some curry and rice." He shrugged, getting his notebooks out from his bag. "How is tutoring with Tokoyami going? I heard from him that you are making progress." As he looked up, he saw Aoyama blushing for some reason. He had looked away, but it reached to his ears and his whole face seemed to shine. What had happened during their time? Tokoyami seemed bashful about it as well.

"V-Very well! I-It was interesting!" Yuuga finally got out in a pressured squeak, covering his face as the blush got worse. "Please ignore me."

"Are you sure you are okay?" Mezo was worried for him, walking over. He crouched down, Aoyama shaking his head. The tuft of blonde hair moved while he shook it, starting to raise his face from his hands.

"Oui, oui. Right as rain! I-It had just gone in-in a di-different direction. We had ended up c-cooking together and talking. I hadn't expected it to go that way."

Mezo raised a brow, that was all that it was? He had thought they had committed a heist or snogged by how they were acting, dancing around the topic as if in a ballroom competition. Though that had Mezo wondered, how would Tokoyami even kiss with the beak?

He shook his head, priorities!

"Well, if you say so. Do you actually understand what we are doing now?"

"Somewhat, it is still very much confusing." He sheepishly admitted, like a child getting caught with a hand in the cookie jar.

"If you ever need more help, I don't mind helping." Mezo suggested, Aoyama seeming thankful for the change of topics.

"That is incredibly kind of you, monsieur. But you don't need to." He put a hand to his cheek, gesturing with the other.

"It is not problem at all." He did his best to smile and Aoyama smiled back.

"So, how did you and Tokoyami even become friends? Your styles do match to a degree, but I hadn't really ever seen you talk before." He suddenly asked, Shoji thinking for a moment.

"We were heading to the same train station home, and just started talking. Though he considers my tastes a bit simple-" Shoji chuckled at that, seeing at how over the top both of them were. "-but we ended up listening to a lot of the same bands and both watched similar movies. Just something like that."

"Oh? Do you have any bands to recommend? While I do like Tokoyami's taste, a lot of the bands are quite grungy. Might you have by any chance, anything that is within the rock or metal genre, that is different?"

Shoji simply stared at Aoyama, slowly blinking a few times. _He listens to metal and rock?_ He knew he shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but it was Aoyama. He screamed sparkles and fabulousness. He could ponder that later, so Shoji ended up grabbing the nearby chair and turning it backwards to sit on it.

"Good question."

"You recovered rather quickly from that~" He teased, obviously noticing his surprise. "Though, I do understand why people find it surprising. I do have an aesthetic that is unmatched!" He struck a dramatic pose, both hands outstretched in opposite directions. "So, the recommendations?"

"Oh! So erm, I think I have a few good songs on my phone. Have you ever listened to Starset?"

"I don't believe I have. Do share!" Aoyama seemed excited as he got the half finished meal off the desk, leaning on both hands to give him his full attention.

* * *

Bakugo had seen a lot of odd things in his life. But he never thought, he would see the day that he would walk in on Sparkles belting out a song, dancing on his desk and Tentacles singing from a chair. The moment Bakugo had been noticed, Disco Ball fell off the table, Mask Face barely catching him. What fucking idiots.

* * *

Tokoyami had to admit, he had taken way too long. He would have gotten back to the classroom much earlier, if not for a certain pink-skinned classmate who had come down to the cafeteria with what looked like murderous intent. She had handed him a piece of crumpled paper, telling him that he will thank her later.

Once he had flattened it out, he noticed the two different handwritings...and that they were definitely not in the same language. One was very obviously in the latin script, the writing was neat and clean. The other in japanese was scrawled on to the paper, sloppy and in general messy.

_Alright, since Frenchie has no balls, I'm doing this for all of us. You two should stop pussyfooting around and get it over with! With love, the Pink Cupid~_

**'What the hell?'**

'_I think for once we agree on something Dark Shadow.'_ Tokoyami pulled out his phone, getting up a translator. What Tokoyami had gotten out, after a lot of checking and light looking up was something actually understandable.

'_Dear Tokoyami, I love you so much and pray to God that you don't know French. Yuuga_' Tokoyami repeated the message in his mind, just feeling more confused. It couldn't really be a prank, could it? Would Mina really go that far? But why would she even go that far? Especially since she does seem to like and respect Aoyama.

And Dark Shadow had been suspiciously quiet once the message had been fully translated into japanese.

'_Really? No comments, on what might be a heartwarming confession of love or a cruel joke played for one's own amusement?'_

'**Since when do you care about my opinion, oh dark lord Fumikage?'**

'_Since you are the EMOTIONAL one of the two of us. Showing it so openly and-'_

**'Oh, shush little one. You are just ignoring the elephant in the room.'**

'_What do you mean by that?'_

**'Don't play dumb! Do you return those feelings, you bumbling denying fool?'**

_'__Well somebody is upping their vocabulary. Hit a nerve did I, oh dark beast?'_

'**Make fun all you want, I won't tell you the answer then.'**

_'__What do you mean by that Dark Shadow?'_

**'Ufufufu, you shall see. Enjoy the empty mind then for today, since you obviously won't take this seriously. See ya'**

_'__Wait, Dark Shadow!'_

Just like that, it was quiet. Not a peep or a response, no snarky comment. It was so quiet. Tokoyami blinked, trying to get Dark Shadow to come out so he could talk to him. What was the meaning of this?!

But his plans were thwarted by the ticking clock as the bell would ring soon. He needed to run to the library to get a french dictionary (would they even have that?), he didn't trust the translators he had used.

_'__You win this round.'_

The silence disturbed Tokoyami greatly.

He couldn't really concentrate after that. Was the letter the real thing? Did Aoyama really hold feelings for him and Ashido had just tried to speed a confession out?

As Fumikage was digging through his memory he realized that he had spent a lot of time with the blonde. It felt natural, even when pairing up in training he always went for Shoji or Aoyama, whoever was closest.

As he continued to think, he noticed that Yuuga seemed to blush quite a bit around him and seemed different than when talking with somebody like Mina or Shoji. He wondered why, feeling flustered through all the hours. It only got worse as he remembered the visit and how he honestly hadn't minded the position while they had cooked. Very calming and warm, but that wouldn't be feelings towards Aoyama would they be? They couldn't be! They barely knew each other, but they also did know a bit, but would it be considered enough?

He went in circles like that the whole day, luckily Shoji and Aoyama didn't seem to mind both giving him space as he couldn't really hold a conversation. Much less with Aoyama, as if he was afraid_?_ But afraid of what? Yuuga didn't seem to know a thing, not acting nervous or excited or anything of that sort. Certainly not like somebody waiting for a reply to a confession.

Well Mina had written that she is doing this for all of them, and Tokoyami wasn't sure anybody else in class knew French. To that degree anyway. Dark Shadow's silence just made this all the much more harder. Though Fumikage hated to admit it, the beast could be useful when solving things like this.

Once Tokoyami had gotten home still deep in this thoughts on the whole matter he was interrupted by nearly slamming himself into his mother who had just been on her way out.

"Oh! That had been so close, are you okay Fumiko?" She leaned down, looking worried for him as always. "Need a hug to help the pain?"

"Mother." He groaned, he loved his mother but she was annoying with the way she babied him. He was going to be the knight of the darkness! Yet he felt like the bird-headed woman would still call him her small birdie even if she would witness Dark Shadow slaughter somebody in front of her.

"How did I forget? My brooding gentleman does not accept hugs in broad daylight." She teased, through his lack of response seemed to alarm her as she put her purse down and put her hands on his shoulder. "Are you okay? Do you have fever?" She tried to reach between his feathers to get a feel, Tokoyami swatting her hand away.

"Mother, I do appreciate the concern, but I will be fine...I think."

"Are you sure? You don't seem fine. I need to run to the store, but we will talk about this once I get back. Wait a minute, where is Darkie? Did you two get into a fight again?"

"Not exactly." He muttered, looking away from his mother's sharp gaze.

"Oh, you two. You are worse than me and your aunt. But I will see what's got you two in a twist again. How does beef ramen sound?"

"That sounds very good, thank you Mother."

"All that mother nonsense, I hope you start calling me Mama soon again." She sighed, getting back up. "Dad should be back by eight, he called ahead. I'll be back soon my little birdie." She smiled as she waved him goodbye.

"So, what happened between you two?" She asked, her ruby red eyes watching him. Tokoyami didn't want to look up, so he focused on picking at his food. "This will be over faster if you talk to me. I don't want this to turn into the three month silent treatment you gave each other."

"That was once." He grumbled, not wanting to admit that he too was afraid that it might happen once more.

"If it happened once, it can happen again. Did either of you say something stupid to the other?"

"No."

"Did Dark Shadow attack somebody?"

"No."

"Fumikage, don't make me carry this conversation when it's important we get to the bottom of this." His mother always meant well, he knew that. But he despised that she was always so worried about him. "We aren't leaving this table until we solve the problem. I loathe seeing you like this, you seem miserable." She frowned, trying to catch his gaze.

Usually at this moment, Dark Shadow would pop up and tell her what was wrong. Tell her what is bothering him, he would yell at him and he would get scolded for yelling at Dark Shadow. But the problem would get solved at least. Dark Shadow was refusing to come out, the silence within him persisting.

"It's...Something happened in school." He tried to find the right words, putting the chopsticks down. "It's really hard to explain, I just…" He wasn't sure if he should show her what he had gotten. It would make things easier certainly and it wouldn't need him to explain too much. But what if it was just a false confession and he was getting way too worked up about this?

Tokoyami decided to bite the metaphorical bullet and reached into his pocket, taking out the crumpled up paper. His mother was silent as he pushed the paper towards her, he watched as her gaze moved down to it and read it. Her eyes widened, before a small smile appeared on her beak.

"Love letters? Is my son already that popular?" She chuckled, looking back up at him. "So, who is the lucky classmate? And more importantly, do you like them back?"

Tokoyami slightly blushed, picking up the chopsticks and trying to eat again. The woman waited patiently for a solid minute, before Fumikage knew he wasn't getting out of this.

"I had told you about him. Aoyama, if you remember?"

"Oh! Is that the boy you had helped study? What was it...you mentioned he was French?"

"Half French...I believe his father is from Japan. But yes, him. His friend handed this to me at lunch, while he was absent."

"Ah, so not from him directly? Do you think it's not real?" She pondered, looking at it again. "I can only read some minor English and this certainly isn't that."

"I had tried an online translator and it confirmed it being French…"

"Might be then. They could have also used a translator who knows, with how much better they are these days! I remember trying to use it for my English homework, didn't work out well." She shook her head, the slightly curled black feathers moving like hair. He never really understood why she had them curled, it just seemed like a hassle.

"The best you can do is ask him directly if you are afraid it's faked. But you never answered my question, do you like him back?" She narrowed her eyes, Fumikage stewing in the silence that followed.

"I...I don't know." He answered, his mother watching him.

"Well, you have time to see if you do or not. It's not something easy."

"That doesn't really help." He groaned, his frustration growing by the hour. Why was this so hard?! "Didn't you have a crush on Father? How did you know?"

"Oh! That has been so long ago!" She giggled, looking nostalgic. "Well for one, my crush was rather childish. Love at first sight and all that, you know the story."

"Yes, I do. But that doesn't answer anything."

"I just thought he was handsome, but Yuki was the one who dragged me to him. Who approaches a stranger in a cafe? What would I even say? Hello there, you are attractive may I go on a date you?" She sighed in disbelief, though she didn't seem that she minded what had happened. "The crush was like, being struck with Amor's arrow, right into my heart and very soul. Instant, powerful and made me an idiot. Like once we started meeting up for lunches, I constantly ordered food that I knew _he_ liked so I could share some with him. Or I would compliment him and if you ask your dad, he will probably tell you I was always blushing up a storm. Even if the feathers hid it most of the time, the only good thing about them." She tugged at one loose one, it quickly fell out as she did. "Though, you should ask him maybe more about this. Since you don't seem to have a crush, well not in the way I had it at least. He was the one who didn't seem smitten with me immediately, maybe it's more like that with you?" She suggested, finishing up her dinner.

"That is a good idea, thank you Mother." He nodded, with her nodding.

"Well, that's why I'm here! Can you do the dishes please? I am going to go

fold the laundry and finish up some work. I shouldn't be long, we could watch some of that crime show once I finish if you wish?"

"That would be great." Fumikage nodded, his mother putting a hand on his head as if to ruffle his feathers but didn't. Both of them knew how much of a hassle it was to get them back in place.

As the door unlocked, the raven-headed woman turned around in her position on the couch to greet the newcomer.

"Well, I see you two are quite comfy." The man teased, Fumikage turning around as well.

"Hello, Father."

"Hey, little man! How was school?"

"I'll leave you two, to it! If you are hungry, there is still some ramen in the kitchen dearie." She got up, almost getting away before she was pulled into a hug by her husband.

"Do you really think you would get away so easily, my Mendori?" He kissed her beak and head, smiling warmly.

"Well I can try! But it seems like I can't get away, I guess I'll have to leave my side man waiting." She joked as she booped his nose. "But I really do think you two should discuss this in private, and I have to get ready for bed."

"Oh?" His Father looked worried, looking between them. "Well alright, I'll grab dinner and meet you in my office, or would you prefer the star room?"

"The constellation room would be preferable." Fumikage nodded, getting up to hopefully get some more insight.

Both sat in silence as his Father was eating and Tokoyami was simply looking at the stars on the ceiling. It persisted for a while, but slowly the darkness was starting to get to him. Even if Dark Shadow was silent, he felt something ominous growing within him. Fumikage reached for the switch, turning on the light. Both of them blinked to get use to the change, Tokoyami looking around the room. From the stars glued to the ceiling to the wind chimes and the maps of the constellations.

"So? How can I help?" The other in the room eventually spoke up, his white hair with brown highlights seeming to bounce as he spoke. He moved it aside from his face, watching Fumikage as he put his bowl down. "Your mum was looked pretty serious back there and I didn't get a call from the school, so nobody was killed at least."

"Not that you know off." He retorted, trying to avoid the topic suddenly. He didn't know why he was getting cold feet to talk to him about this.

"Is that a confession young man?" He let out a heartful laugh, but of course he noticed the aversion of the topic. He waited for a moment, before looking around and putting a hand on his own shadow.

"Wait, Father no-"

"Well it seems you left me no choice. You never liked talking to me without the help of Edgar."

"Father, no. Please." He whined, but it was too late. The shadow morphed into a raven that flew over them, before landing on Fumikage's shoulder. The man moved his hands in a similar way one would move their hand inside a sock puppet.

"What's got you down, Fumiko?" The voice that left the shadow was a mixture of his Father's and a croaky voice.

"Really? You aren't even going to let it speak on it's own? Out of practice?" He continued to dodge the topic, even though it felt ridiculous. Why was this so hard?! Is it because he was actually afraid of getting answers or not getting any at all?

"Cut your Dad some slack. He is tired." As if to prove his point he yawned, Fumikage yawning right after him. "I do appreciate us talking and all, but seriously what is going on Fumikage?" He leaned back on his hands, the bird continuing to rest on his shoulder.

Tokoyami took a deep breath, before handing him the paper as well. They went through the same points as he did with his mother, but it slightly changed at the end once they got over the question if it was fake or not.

"How did you know with Mother?"

"Oh, I didn't really. She approached me and I honestly didn't think much of her. Only after a few dates, I started seeing her as cute. Well if you could even call them dates." He rolled his eyes, playing with the raven on his shoulder so it nuzzled into Fumikage's cheek. Tokoyami reached up to pet it, his Father smiling at the sight.

"Might just be me, my friends all had comments. From those seeming to say she was ugly simply because of her mutation, to the perverts who only commented on her body. The latter got a few bruises from me." He shook his head, annoyed at the mere memory of them.

"I still cannot believe you used to do that." He had always been so calm and kind, so he could never imagine the man being violent in any way,

"Oh, shush. I was young and stupid. Just like you will be or rather are. Mr Hero." He closed his palm into a fist, the bird fading and slithering back to form his shadow. "Beauty never mattered to me. If a girl said something stupid or rude then she was the ugliest woman I had ever seen. Your Mum always made me smile, made me felt safe and just in general pleasant. But, are you interested in this boy?" He tilted his head, watching him with patient blue eyes. The room's light played with them so they looked much darker than usual. Almost intimidating, though he could never hurt a fly. Well he would hurt a fly, but not a person.

Before his distracting train of thought would continue, Father waved his hand to try and get his attention.

"Well? Do you Fumikage?"

"I...I am not sure. He is enjoyable to be around, we do share some tastes in music and he is very interesting. But wouldn't that also count for a friend?"

"Could be, could be." He nodded, looking up at the ceiling. "Why don't you sleep it over? I can't really offer you a concrete answer bud, since everybody feels love differently. Like your Mum would go all poetic, describing the merging of souls or feeling like you found a new piece of yourself. I would say it's like finding a friend who you can't really keep yourself away from, somebody you hold more dear than most." He got up, taking his bowl.

"That was...not very informative."

"Sorry I couldn't do more. Though think it over, maybe try and get more alone time with him to figure out your feelings. If it's the same as if when you hang out with that boy, Shoji was it?" He snapped his fingers, trying to remember. "But yeah, really don't worry too much about it. You have your whole life in front of you. Do you need me to stay up in case Darkie acts up?"

"No, he has been...silent the whole day since we got the note."

"Odd." He raised a brow, not seeming to like this. "Do you think he knows something you don't?"

"Who knows at this point?" Grumbled Fumikage in frustration, getting up as well. His Father put an arm around him as they left, wanting to cheer him up seemingly as he suddenly asked if he was up for a late-night snack.

* * *

"Soooo, when is the date mademoiselle? So I can help you look simply dazzling for it!~" Yuuga spoke as he answered his phone, though he quickly pulled it away from his ear as Mina shouted at him. He froze as she was talking so loudly, taking a deep breath to calm the anxiety bubbling within him. It was fine, it was just Mina.

"_I AM GOING TO KILL YOU YUUGA AOYAMA_!" He could perfectly imagine her blushing, probably hugging a pillow. "And the date is on Friday." She admitted, Aoyama feeling rather proud. "Though what you did was below the belt Aoyama!"

"But you wouldn't have done it at all! And you two would be fine even if she rejected you."

_"__How would you know that Aoyama, huh? Are you suddenly an expert on Jirou?!_" She hissed, both of them going quiet.

"Non, I am not. I...Well it was really stupid of me to do that, I dearly apologize Ashido." He spoke quietly, Mina making a sound of surprise on the other line. She had probably expected a fight, well he could guess at that.

"_I...okay. Just don't do it again, at least it ended well. And I would probably do something very stupid if I tried to confess to her too, you gave me something good_." She suddenly seemed very sheepish and calm, it was odd. Was she really fine with this? She must still be angry with him, she calmed down way too quickly. It was always like that, he would hear about this later.

"Well, you are the risk-taker of the two of us."

"_Life is a tad better with risks, wouldn't you think? If you don't enter the tiger's cave, you can't catch its cub and all that_!"

"...I'm sorry Mina but what?"

"_What? If you don't take risks you won't get any rewards from it_!"

"Oh! You mean: he who does not attempt has nothing?"

"_What the heck is that?_" Confusion was clear in her voice. "Isn't your dad japanese?"

"Yes, he is. Why?"

"_It's a thing we say! What did you use? The English version or something_?"

"Oh, non non! That is the French version, Papa prefers English ones, thinks they make him smarter." And the passing comments that he wouldn't understand them, since he never grew up in Japan.

"_That sounds...stupid but okay. What's the English saying then, smartypants_?"

"Hmmm...I believe they say something like; Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

"_That still sounds stupid_."

"Hey! How do you think that tiger one sound to moi?"

"_Fair point, so what else do-"_ As she spoke, Aoyama heard the front door open. He stopped listening, holding his breath. The anxiety from before starting to bubble up once more.

"Hey, Mina can I call you back later?"

_"__Huh? Sure, dude. Everything o-_" Before she could finish, he was the one to cut her off for once. Before he could ponder about that and if it was rude enough to call her back and apologize, he heard humming. Relief washed over him, making him lean forward on his hands as to not collapse. Tonight was going to be easy. He just needed to behave, smile and stick with japanese.

He got up, going again and again over his mental list as he quietly approached the staircase. Yuuga had learned to walk on the edges of the carpet years ago and which floorboards to avoid to not get his attention.

He moved slowly, before resting on the railing and looking down. Oh, Papa was absolutely sloshed, or rather had drunk as much as the Polish. The man was leaning on the doorframe, hiccuping. So it was probably champagne or beer today guessing from that. Before he could possibly slip away into the bathroom and pretend he was taking a shower, Papa's mouth opened.

"Daddy ithhh hoam." He slurred out, his voice ringing through the apartment and Yuuga's ears. "Yuuga! Where ith my favourith thon?"

"Coming, Papa!" He spoke quietly, nearly running down the stairs.

Papa looked up, blinking slowly, a wide grin spread on his lips, needing moment to speak as he hiccuped again. "Can you get thomefting for your Daddy? You thee, he thtill if thirthty. Can you get Daddy thomething good?"

"Papa, I do not really know if that is such a good idea. Don't you have wo-" Before he could continue, his Papa grabbed one of his arms and pulled Yuuga closer into a hug. The smell of alcohol nearly suffocated him, as he did his best not to puke. The man grunted, Yuuga feeling a heavy weight on him. The blonde quickly moved to try and keep the man up. Once he was stable once again, they changed positions so Yuuga could help him get to the couch. He hiccuped once more as he was put down, trying to sit up straight.

"Dwink?" He asked, looking at him. Yuuga shook his head, about to move away to get him some water. But he had forgotten that his Papa was much more receptive in this state than most would think. Yuuga squeaked as his arm was grabbed, specifically around his wrist. He was pulled down, trapped next to the drunk Papa on the couch. The grip was starting to hurt, doing his best not to mewl from the pain. He dearly hoped it wouldn't bruise, those were always the ones hardest to explain away.

"Youuuu wanna repeat vhat?" He asked, Yuuga feeling the bile rise up again as the man changed the grip to the other hand putting the free arm around him. Even less of a chance to get away. It was starting to become suffocating, Yuuga trying not to gasp for air.

"Oh, Papa! I-I had just m-meant that why sh-should I get you a drink w-when I can make y-you one? Maybe a L-Long I-Island Iced Tea!" His voice rose way too high, wobbly and fragile. This was always so easy! Why didn't he just agree to get him something? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

The man blinked slowly, before his grip loosened and he laughed. "Good boy!" He pushed him up, and Aoyama hightailed it to the kitchen.

After a few hours of having him drink water, Papa was sobering up finally. Though having him be completely sober once more would be far too dangerous, so he did his best to keep him still a tad tipsy.

"Ah, thank you." He checked the beer he was handed, before opening it and drinking from it. "Your Papa had seemed to have gotten too much champagne! It was a big day you see? Our client signed a big contract, so drinks were on the boss!" He grinned, seeming proud of himself. "Remember how drunk I had been last year after that big party with the Tokyo office? Now _that_ was fun times!" Yuuga wouldn't really count cleaning up puke at 4 am off the bathroom floor and hand washing an expensive suit fun, but his opinion didn't matter. He was the kid after all, what would he know?

"But, it got even better you see! You remember Kai?"

"The man who constantly loses his wallet if he comes over?"

"Yes! Hiiiiim!" He giggled after that, finishing the bottle and gesturing for a new one. Aoyama quickly obliged, taking another one from the big pack he had gotten from the fridge. "Yeah, so! You know how he has like a few kids? He told me his daughter should be ready to marry off soon! And even with your defective quirk, we could possibly get something good out of this." He opened his drink with a satisfied grin and bravado in his voice. "You see, she can manipulate light! Now your kid would be amazing, creating and manipulating light. Look at your Papa already doing the hard work for you." He puffed his chest out, as Yuuga just nodded.

"Thank you Papa." He kept a polite front, while trying to calm his frantically beating heart. Just a tad more, just a few more minutes.

"Now, I have good and bad news about this! Which first, kiddo?"

"I suppose the bad news." He shrugged, looking down at the floor.

"Alright, so I spent most of the money your mother had sent for this month since we decided to go gift shopping for his daughter. We want her to like you, you know? Which is already hard enough, so a gift can soften the blow once you open your mouth."

"What did you get her?" Yuuga ignored the stinging pain at his eyes.

"That's the good news, the perfect gift! A pearl watch, very pretty thing, cost a lot too. But every yen spent for your future is important, wouldn't you think?"

"How much do we have left then?" He decided to dodge the question, luckily he didn't notice.

"I think around 3.500 yen, I bet you can stretch it out over two weeks wouldn't you think? Though I'll probably need around 1.500 yen from that so I can get some drinks with my lunch at work. You get the rest, sounds good yes?"

Well Yuuga had gotten used to eating one meal a day, and how much food they had left currently and if he wanted at least two meals a day counting the lunch in school it would run out in around six days. With the remaining money he could buy himself breakfast for another few days.

"Oh! We have a mathematician in the house?" Papa teased as Yuuga was counting it out on his fingers subconsciously. He blushed madly, quickly hiding his hands behind his back.

"It's okay, I know you are rather slow with math." He chuckled, yawning loudly. "Mmm...I think I'll take a small nap here. Wake me before you go to school, I'll probably call in sick." He suddenly sagged to the side, luckily the beer can was empty.

Aoyama got up, taking the can and going upstairs to get the blanket from his bedroom for Papa. Seeing him finally asleep made him release a sigh of relief, that was just before his phone started ringing. He juggled it around in his hands, answering it. He looked back in fear, if it had awakened the man. Luckily Papa was fast asleep, even letting out a snore as if to prove it.

"_Yuuga, you okay? You said you would call me back._" Mina's voice asked with worry, as Yuuga snuck back upstairs into his room.

"Oh, it was nothing. Just had a chat with Papa and forgot the time. Really don't worry about me." He tried to keep his voice quiet, but not a whisper as to not raise suspicion with her. "So, what did you want to ask belles mademoiselle?"


End file.
